During the winter months, many Milwaukee neighborhoods from Downtown to the North Shore display ice sculptures. Sometimes, groups organize ice-sculpting competitions, sometimes artists are commissioned to sculpt ice simply for citizens' viewing pleasure.
Obviously, once temperatures climb, the ice sculptures go by the way of Frosty, however, does this fact make their creation a waste of time? Artists spend hours, sometimes days, on perfecting their frozen masterpiece, only for them to melt away.
The same question could be asked of sand sculpture, commonly created at Bradford Beach in the summer time. So is temporary art a waste of time, or if not, what benefit does temporary art provide? Sound-off!
Ice sculpture / sand sculpture is not worth the effort. I understand putting your heart and soul into something you can enjoy for the rest of your life, but for a sculpture that could melt or erode within a day doesn’t seem worth it.
Ice sculpture / sand sculpture is valuable, important art. Everything in life is temporary, and these sculptures -- just like some installations and other ephemeral art -- remind us of that fact. Temporary art is as much about the process, maybe even more about the process / the journey, than the end result. Plus, they are amazing to look at, even if it’s only for a couple of days.
