The World Ice Art Championships is an ice sculpting contest in Fairbanks, Alaska produced on by Ice Alaska, a non-profit corporation started in 1989. The contest is the largest of its kind in the world and attended by more than 100 sculptors from 30 countries every year. [1] The contest also draws tens of thousands of spectators; in 2004, 48,000 people from more than 28 countries passed through the park's gates. [2]
Ice Alaska put on its first ice art championship in 1991; it featured 16 sculpting teams and lasted a week. Today the event begins mid February and, weather permitting, lasts until the end of March, featuring the art and skill of as many as 75 teams from around the world. [3]
Locations: Through 2011, the ice festival took place on a 20-acre (8.1 ha) site across the Chena River from Pioneer Park, which the organizers leased from the Alaska Railroad. [4] In 2012 the event moved to a new location, the George Horner Ice Art Park. [5] In 2017, after a fire destroyed their main lodge, the Ice Alaska organization restructured to protect the future of the event. Then, in 2018 they reached an agreement with the Tanana Valley State Fair Association and moved the World Ice Art Championships, along with the associated Ice Alaska Ice Park, to the Tanana Valley State Fairgrounds.
Ice Alaska has negotiated with a new property owner to harvest ice blocks and transport them to the new venue; the ice is so clear it is referred to as "arctic diamond". [6] In addition to sculptures on view, the event features a Kids Park sculpted out of ice, including ice slides, an ice maze, an ice rink, and spinning cups. [7]
The championship is divided into three professional competitions, a youth event, and an amateur exhibition. abstract and realistic categories.
The Single Block Classic is open to 30 contestants. (One Artist and One Block of Ice) Each Artist is provided one block of Ice 6’x4’x3’ (roughly 1,720 lbs) and 48 hours to create a sculpture.
The Double Block Classic is open to 25 Teams (2 Artists and 2 Blocks of Ice) Each Team is provided two blocks of Ice 6’x4’x3’ (roughly 3,440 lbs) and 72 hours to create a sculpture.
The Multi-Block Classic is open to 15 Teams (4 Artists with 9 Blocks of Ice) Each Team is provided 9 blocks of ice 6’x4’x3’ (roughly 15,490 lbs) and 132 hours to create a sculpture.
This competition is held during the week of School Spring Break, usually the second week of March. Is open to ~5 to 15 teams. A Team is defined as 1 or 2 Carvers. Available to students in grades 8th thru 12th 2’ x 3’ x 2-3’ block of ice. The Youth Carvers have an opportunity to be mentored by Master Carvers who volunteer with the event to encourage the next generation of artisans.
| Year | Block | Category | Name | Artists |
| 2010 | Single | Realistic | Blue Ring Octopus |  Junichi Nakamura  Heather Brice |
| 2010 | Single | Abstract | Ice Dancing |  Vitaliy Lednev Sergey Loginov |
| 2006 | Single | Realistic | Beach Walker | Steve Brice Junichi Nakamura |
| 2006 | Single | Abstract | Fiddler | Vladimir Zhikhartsev Vitaliy Lednev |
| 2006 | Multi | Realistic | Balto's Charge | Steve Berkshire Mark Johnson Stanley Kolonko Carl Eady |
| 2006 | Multi | Abstract | Sunrise Over Spring Water | Sergei Zaplatin Sergey Tselebrovskiy Grigoriy Ponomarev Larry Moen |
| 2005 | Single | Realistic | Leap | Steve Brice Aaron Costic |
| 2005 | Single | Abstract | Fire of Love | Vitaliy Lednev Vladimir Zhikhartsev |
| 2005 | Multi | Realistic | Animal Parade | Steve Brice Heather Brown Tajana Raukar Mario Amegee |
| 2005 | Multi | Abstract | Gateway | Aaron Costic Gregory Butauski Chad Hartson Jeff Meyers |
| 2004 | Single | Realistic | Colorful Duo | Paul Raukar Tajana Raukar |
| 2004 | Single | Abstract | The Dance | Jennie Graham James Stugart |
| 2004 | Multi | Realistic | Dragon Boat |  Yan Liansheng Zhang Daquan Ma Yue An Quifeng |
| 2004 | Multi | Abstract | Michelangelo Hi-Tech-The Creation of Ice Man | Vitaliy Lednev Karen Pless Chuck Carpenter Kathleen Carlo-Kendall |
| 2003 | Single | Realistic | Graceful Predator | Junichi Nakamura Tajana Raukar |
| 2003 | Single | Abstract | White Dance | Alexander Zaitsev Regan Dillon |
| 2003 | Multi | Realistic | Friend or Foe | Steve Brice Joan Brice Heather Brown Tajana Raukar |
| 2003 | Multi | Abstract | Seed of Promise |  Lumir Lang Ben Firth Craig Araquistain Amy Moran |
| 2002 | Single | Realistic | King of the Sky | Junichi Nakamura  Hideshi Terada |
| 2002 | Single | Abstract | Flame in the Wind | Vladimir Zhikhartsev Sergey Loguinov |
| 2002 | Multi | Realistic | Leap of Faith | Tajana Raukar Heather Brown Wendy Croskrey Joan Brice |
| 2002 | Multi | Abstract | Ice Falls | Lumir Lang Ben Firth Tokuji Nakano Craig Araquistain |
| 2001 | Single | Realistic | A Total Lack of Sharing | Steve Brice Kevin Roscoe |
| 2001 | Single | Abstract | Enlightenment | Vladimir Zhikhartsev Sergey Loguenov |
| 2001 | Multi | Realistic | Pretenders | Aaron Costic Steve Brice  Marja Pohjoisaho Tajana Raukar |
| 2001 | Multi | Abstract | The Unison of Love | Sergei Tselebrovski Sergei Bannikh Sergei Loguenov Alexander Zaitsev |
Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the population of the city proper at 32,515 and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in Alaska after Anchorage. The Metropolitan Statistical Area encompasses all of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and is the northernmost Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States, located 196 miles by road south of the Arctic Circle.
Nenana (Lower Tanana: Toghotili; is a home rule city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the Unorganized Borough in the Interior of the U.S. state of Alaska. Nenana developed as a Lower Tanana community at the confluence where the tributary Nenana River enters the Tanana. The population was 378 at the 2010 census, down from 402 in 2000.
The Tanana River is a 584-mile (940 km) tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to linguist and anthropologist William Bright, the name is from the Koyukon (Athabaskan) tene no, tenene, literally "trail river".
The Koyukon, Dinaa, or Denaa are an Alaska Native Athabascan people of the Athabascan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. Their traditional territory is along the Koyukuk and Yukon rivers where they subsisted for thousands of years by hunting and trapping. Many Koyukon live in a similar manner today.
Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative. Ice sculptures are generally associated with special or extravagant events because of their limited lifetime.
Snow sculpture, snow carving or snow art is a sculpture form comparable to sand sculpture or ice sculpture in that most of it is now practiced outdoors often in full view of spectators, thus giving it kinship to performance art. The materials and the tools differ widely, but often include hand tools such as shovels, pickle forks, homemade tools, and saws. Snow sculptures are usually carved out of a single block of snow about 6–15 ft (1.8–4.6 m) on each side and weighing about 20–30 tons. The snow is densely packed into a form after having been produced by artificial means or collected from the ground after a snowfall.
Pioneer Park is a 44-acre (109-ha) city park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States run by the Fairbanks North Star Borough Department of Parks and Recreation. The park commemorates early Alaskan history with multiple museums and historic displays on site. The park is located along the Chena River and is accessible from Peger and Airport Roads. A waterfront path connects the park to the Carlson Center, Growden Memorial Park and downtown Fairbanks. There is no admission fee to enter the park, though many of the museums and attractions do charge an entrance fee. Concessions are open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, though the park is open year-round and some events are held in the off-season. Free Wi-Fi is available.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is a morning daily newspaper serving the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Denali Borough, and the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the farthest north daily in the United States, and one of the farthest north in the world. The oldest continuously operating daily in Alaska, by circulation it is the second-largest daily in the state. It was purchased by the Helen E. Snedden Foundation in 2016. The Snedden family were longtime owners of the News-Miner, selling it to a family trust for Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder, founders of the Media News Group in 1992.
The Alaska Nanooks are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Nanooks name is derived from the Inupiaq "nanuq", meaning polar bear. The school colors are blue and gold. The Nanooks compete at the NCAA Division II level for all sports except men's ice hockey. The majority of Nanooks sports are members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), the hockey team is an Independent and plays at the 4,595-seat Carlson Center located west of downtown Fairbanks, while the women's swim team is a member of the Pacific Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference (PCSC), the men's and women's skiing teams are members of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA), and the rifle team competes as a member of the Patriot Rifle Conference.
The Fairbanks Gold Rush was a gold rush that took place in Fairbanks, Alaska in the early 1900s. Fairbanks was a city largely built on gold rush fervor at the turn of the 20th century. Discovery and exploration continue to thrive in and around modern-day Fairbanks.
Isabel Pass is a 40 mile long gap in the eastern section of the Alaska Range which serves as a corridor for the Richardson Highway about 11 miles from Paxson. It is named after the wife of E. T. Barnette, who helped found Fairbanks. The pass separates four regions, the Tanana Valley to the north, the Delta Mountains to the east, Copper River Basin to the south, and the Hayes Range to the west.
The 2009 Alaska floods were a series of natural disasters taking place in the United States state of Alaska during April and May 2009. The floods were a result of heavier-than-normal winter snowfall and above-average spring temperatures that resulted in rapid melting of the winter snowfall. The resulting high water levels were magnified in places by the development of ice dams which caused catastrophic flooding. The record-breaking flood that affected Eagle, Alaska in early May is the best example of an ice dam causing flooding beyond the norm.
The history of Fairbanks, the second-largest city in Alaska, can be traced to the founding of a trading post by E.T. Barnette on the south bank of the Chena River on August 26, 1901. The area had seen human occupation since at least the last ice age, but a permanent settlement was not established at the site of Fairbanks until the start of the 20th century.
The Masonic Temple was a historic two-story wooden building at 809 1st Avenue, near the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was built in 1906, expanded in 1908, and further altered in 1913 and 1916. Its architecture was "eclectic Renaissance Revival", a style that had been popular in the "lower 48" United States in the 1880s and 1890s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Kathleen Carlo-Kendall born in Tanana, Alaska, is a Koyukon Athabaskan professional carver from Alaska.
Troth Yeddha' is the name of the prominent ridge on which the University of Alaska Fairbanks is currently located. In February 2013, the US Board of Geographic Names approved the university supported proposal to officially rename the ridge.
The Tanana Valley State Fair is an annual state fair held in College, Alaska, United States. The event commences on the first Friday in August, and is a major annual event in Interior Alaska. The fair is held on a hundred-acre plot of land just outside the city limits of Fairbanks, in the approximate center of College Road. The fairgrounds, along with portions of the Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge and surrounding businesses on the north side of College Road, comprise the eastern reaches of the College census-designated place adjacent to Fairbanks.
Abel Ramírez Águilar was a Mexican sculptor who won many prizes not only for traditional pieces in wood, stone and metal, but also for ice and snow sculptures in the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe. He was trained as a sculptor in Mexico and the Netherlands and has exhibited his work individually and collectively since the 1960s. He discovered snow and ice sculpting while visiting Quebec in the 1980s, first experiencing snow in his forties. The challenge intrigued him and he began sculpting this medium as an amateur. He began sculpting ice and snow professionally when he was entered in the competition associated with the 1992 Winter Olympic Games without his knowledge. Having practiced beforehand at an ice factory in Mexico City, he won the gold medal for this event, leading to invitations to other competitions for over twenty years. Ramírez lived in Mexico City.
The Tanana Athabaskans, Tanana Athabascans or Tanana Athapaskans are an Alaskan Athabaskan peoples of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. They are the original inhabitants of the Tanana River drainage basin in east-central Alaska Interior, United States and a little part lived in Yukon, Canada. Tanana River Athabaskan peoples are called in Lower Tanana and Koyukon language Ten Hʉt'ænæ, in Gwich'in language Tanan Gwich'in. In Alaska, where they are the oldest, there are three or four groups identified by the languages they speak. These are the Tanana proper or Lower Tanana and/or Middle Tanana, Tanacross or Tanana Crossing, and Upper Tanana. The Tanana Athabaskan culture is a hunter-gatherer culture and have a matrilineal system. Tanana Athabaskans were semi-nomadic and as living in semi-permanent settlements in the Tanana Valley lowlands. Traditional Athabaskan land use includes fall hunting of moose, caribou, Dall sheep, and small terrestrial animals, and also trapping. The Athabaskans did not have any formal tribal organization. Tanana Athabaskans were strictly territorial and used hunting and gathering practices in their semi-nomadic way of life and dispersed habitation patterns. Each small band of 20–40 people normally had a central winter camp with several seasonal hunting and fishing camps, and they moved cyclically, depending on the season and availability of resources.
The Lacey Street Theatre building, now hosting the Fairbanks Ice Museum, is an Art Deco architectural showpiece theatre located at 500 Second Avenue in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was designed by noted theatre designer B. Marcus Priteca, and built in 1939 by C.W. Hufeisen for Austin E. "Cap" Lathrop, one of a chain of movie theaters built by Lathrop across Alaska, and one of only two in Fairbanks into the 1960s. It opened on January 25, 1940. It closed in December 1980, and was repurposed to house the museum in 1992.
