Every two years, a strange phenomenon occurs in North Bay. Just off Marathon beach on the frozen plateau of Lake Nipissing, which sits at the heart of our communities, folks venture onto the frozen landscape that is made accessible for a short period of time in winter, where atop the ice an arrangement of structures appears. On a canvas as tranquil as it is volatile, the works are placed in direct harmony with light, water, wind, ice and snow.

In 2020, the Ice Follies biennial festival of contemporary art returned to Lake Nipissing for its ninth official year. This year’s theme being ‘mkomiiwi: be ice, turn to ice, be covered in ice, be icy’. Exploring that transformation from water to ice and from one realm to another. As we shift and adapt new worlds are opened and old pathways disappear. Our mode of travel changes. Ice heaves form from prevailing winds. Ice is pushed up against itself, the shore.

Ice Follies is operated through a partnership between Aanmitaagzi, Near North Mobile Media Lab and White Water Gallery, with each contributing toward the overall coordination of the festival and programming their own arts presentations, installations or performances. In addition, this year, Art Fix joined as one of the festivals’ producers.

This unique event that is exclusive to North Bay opened on February 15th, 2020. Installations for Ice Follies were set up before Family Day, with the festival officially opening on Saturday to ensure people had access during the holiday. In the weeks following the opening reception activities continued with a variety of community workshops and performances hosted by Aanmitaagzi. Workshops like paper lantern building and freeze frame making took place at Big Medicine Studio, with all contributions were then installed as part of the festival.

On March 1st, Nipissing Region Curatorial Collective (NRCC) sponsored a free, one-time only, silent dance party on ice set against the backdrop of all the amazing installations presented at Ice Follies 2020. Attendees were invited to experience sound and light performances by HyperBoreal (Jason Brock and Dermot Wilson), DJ sndFr3q (Jordaan Allison), and RFPMEDIA (Richard Fortin). The performance will also include the premiere of a Hyperboreal composition especially created for Ice Ball called: Ice Shift.

The 2020 Ice Follies Biennial included an excellent selection of sculptural, video, and performance-based installations and interactions. Artists exhibited from across Canada include Destiny Swiderski, Jon Sasaki, Emily Pelstring, Christine Negus, Aanmitaagzi, Megan Feheley, Jenna Dawn Maclellan, and more.