Art Shanties!

I had a great time going to the Art Shanties today with Amelia and Paul. On our way there, Amelia said she thought that since it was the last day, there would be a healthy non-super bowl watching contingent. She was right! I saw tons of people that I knew, which was very fun, and I was very happy that I finally got a chance to go out to Medicine Lake to see the spectacle.

The place was packed, and the weather was not too bad. It started snowing about an hour after we got there, which Amelia pointed out made everything more beautiful, if slightly more miserable. My favorite shanty was probably the Ace Stellar Shanty, which was the warmest shanty, and had a planetarium inside.

I also had fun at the Dance Shanty, which was blasting "Love Shack" as dancers shook their booties in enthusiastic jubilee.

There was a fantastic moment, too, when the people at the Shop Shanty said I could get the vintage "soul searchin" record I had my eye on if I got six strangers to dance outside. This was not difficult. In no time a whole group of people were dancing to no music in the snow and I got my record, which unfortunately I can't play because I don't have a record player.

I was hoping to see Michael Sommers perform in the FantaShanty but we didn't time things quite right. Ah, well. Next year. The Shanty itself was very neat looking, with beautiful bright colors and magical objects hiding in Sommers' trunk.

All in all, it was a very fun afternoon discovering all the creations that Minnesota artists came up with. I actually applied to be in the shanties this year, and my group wasn't accepted. Secretly I was kind of glad that I could just go and enjoy one day of the experience, rather than having to do all the work of setting a shanty up in the cold of winter. Indeed, a few of the artists I talked to said the funnest part was just thinking up an idea, and there was not a few tears shed trying to get the darn things built on the frozen Lake. Still, I might consider applying again next year. We'll see if I can get a good team together.