Ice Follies 2023
February 10th - 24th, 2023
THEME: NBAAGZI MKWAM (THIN ICE)
Under the Surface was chosen because it represents the efforts behind the scenes to make Ice Follies 2012 more community-oriented and engaging. With artists travelling from across the country to work alongside of local artists, community members, and coordinators we hope to present a unique arts experience on Lake Nipissing that everyone can enjoy.
Presented Artists
About Our 10th Edition
For its 10th Edition, Ice Follies is returning bigger than ever! This year, Ice Follies will include workshops, tours, and various activations to fully celebrate this uniquely cool festival. Ice Follies has also expanded its reach by welcoming additional arts organizations to present works such as Trinity Square Video (Toronto, ON), Nipissing Regional Curatorial Collective (North Bay, ON), Between Pheasants Contemporary (Kerns Township, ON), and Nipissing University (North Bay, ON), and has commissioned two additional artist projects through a public call, totalling 13 artworks – our biggest year yet! The 10th edition of Ice Follies also includes three special retrospective projects, including an on-ice curated exhibition by Ice Follies founder Dermot Wilson, a digital web project by his daughter and artist, Imogen Clendinning, and a collaboration with downtown North Bay business showcasing historical Ice Follies images by the festival’s official photographer, Liz Lott.
2023 Events
Opening Reception: Welcome to Ice Follies!
February 10th, 2023 at 6:00pm EST
Join us at Shabogesic Beach on February 10th for the opening reception of Ice Follies 2023 – free refreshments will be available to warm you up.
Opening Night Performance by Aanmitaagzi
February 10th, 2023 at 7:00pm EST
Not to be missed, a magical way to kick start the 10th Anniversary of Ice Follies.
Artist Talks at the Capitol Centre:
Saturday, February 11th, 2023 from 1pm – 4pm EST
Join us in Spotlight Lounge in the Capitol Centre on February 11th for a series of artists talks with participating artists, including:
- Imogen Clendinning
- Quinn Hopkins
- Public Visualization Studios
Cease Wyss Artist Talk Presenting by Nipissing University
February 16th, 2023 at 11am EST via Zoom
Click HERE to join the Zoom call.
I Am Calling Home:
Roundtable Discussion with Geronimo Inutiq
February 16th, 2023 at 8pm EST
Contribute your voice to an ongoing conversation about Home in the north. NAISA guest artist Geronimo Inutiq leads the conversation. Join us at 8pm at the Digital Creator Lab in the Capitol Centre. Enter from the parking lot. Discussions will be recorded and re-mixed in Geronimo Inutiq’s radio art performance at the NAISA North Media Arts Centre.
Listening Drop-In Event #1
Uvattini Uqaalajunga – J’ Appel chez nous – I Am Calling Home
Performance by Geronimo Inutiq
Family Day Weekend – February 18th, 2023 at 7pm EST
Join us around a fire at Shabogesic Beach to live stream the broadcast of Geronimo Inutiq’s live performance at NAISA.
More information: NAISA Radio
Listening Drop-In Event #2
Landlines Audio Artworks
Family Day Weekend – February 19th, 2023 at 7pm EST
Join us around a fire at Shabogesic Beach to experience Landlines, featuring audio-works by Randy Dunsford, Carrie Lyon, Rachel Garrick, Moneca Sinclaire, Osani Balkaran. Curated by Nadine Arpin and Sonya Ballantyne. Co-Presented. by Trinity Square Video.
VOX on Ice
Family Day Weekend – February 20th, 2023 at 1:30pm EST
A free-to-participate community choir amidst the artworks, facilitated by VOX Choir, performing ‘Cold as Ice’ by Foreigner with punctuations of ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by Vanilla Ice.
Aanmitaagzi Drumming and Dancing
Family Day Weekend – February 20th, 2023
Aanmitaagzi will be activating their area with drumming and dancing!
Tours Offered Throughout the Festival
Family Day Weekend – February 20th, 2023 at 1:30pm EST
A guided walking tour by Alex Rondeau, one of the Ice Follies organizers, offering additional info and insight for each artwork. Day and night tours vary slightly. $10 per person except on Family Day. Register HERE.
Additional Presenters
WKP Kennedy Gallery
An important part of your Capitol Centre, the WKP Kennedy Public Art Gallery presents the finest in historical and contemporary Northern, Canadian and International visual artists. In their two gallery spaces, through their public arts activities, through their programming with the Capitol Theatre and in their touring exhibition projects, they showcase art of all forms and media. The WKP Kennedy Public Art Gallery is a gathering place for art and art ideas. They offer to the people of North Bay and Northeastern Ontario, a forum for artistic dialogue and development.
Website: http://www.kennedygallery.org/
Nipissing Regional Curatorial Collective
The Nipissing Region Curatorial Collective works with curators, artists, collectives and cultural organizations (eg. the Gateway Theatre Guild) to promote, animate, produce and document cultural events in the Nipissing region of northeastern Ontario.
The NRCC is committed to the professional payment of artists as outlined by the CARFAC Ontario union of artists. They are connecting new regional and national audiences for art and culture to emerging and professional visual, media and performing artists in the Nipissing region. The NRCC also offers administrative and educational programming assistance to all non-profit organizations in our region.
Website: https://thenrcc.com/
Nipissing University
Nipissing University is a primarily undergraduate university with a reputation for excellence in teacher education, arts, science and professional programs. Nipissing is located on an impressive 720 acres of Canadian Shield forest within the city of North Bay, Ontario – a few hours travel north of Toronto and west of Ottawa.
Nipissing’s strategic focus on student success and experience has translated into consistent top rankings in the country in the areas of student support, student experience, faculty, and residences as a primarily undergraduate institution. Students find themselves in a high-quality academic environment that is student-focused and based on personal teaching practices, innovative approaches to learning, and a growing research culture.
Website: https://www.nipissingu.ca/
Trinity Square Video
For 50 years, Trinity Square has been a champion of media arts practices. Our activities are guided by a goal to increase our members’ and audiences’ understanding and imagination of what media arts practices can be. Trinity Square strives to create supportive environments, encouraging artistic and curatorial experimentation that challenge medium specificity through education, production and presentation supports.
As video-based practices have become increasingly present across disciplines, Trinity Square engages artists and curators in critical investigations into the changing conditions of perception, materiality and the virtual. We consider all of our artistic activities and structures through a process of critical self-reflection, continuously evaluating the ethical positioning of our programming, jury structures, inter-organizational relationships, et cetera. In addition to holding aesthetic worth in its own right, our artistic programming extends our education and production activities in order to generate new knowledges.
Website: https://www.trinitysquarevideo.com/