Shared Visions Near and Far

An Artful Ice Shanty
created by members of Zea Mays Printmaking

Presented by the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center and Retreat Farm, the Artful Ice Shanties outdoor exhibit is a place-based celebration of artistic talent, creative ingenuity, and the rich history of ice fishing in New England. The shanty was created by Nancy Diessner and a team of artists from Zea Mays Printmaking.

It is currently on view in the Atrium at the Brooks House in Brattleboro, Vermont.

The walls of our 4-sided pyramid shanty are made entirely of individual etching plates, woodblocks, and prints created by ZMP members and donated by them in an expression of support, gratitude, and appreciation for the ZMP community.

Though ice fishing may sometimes be a solitary endeavor, an ice shanty represents a place of warmth and shelter from the elements, often shared in community with fellow fisherman, and fundamentally a place where one’s spirit and energy are renewed in the face of cold and ice. Reflecting on the idea of a shared place of warmth and shelter, we looked at our own community of artist printmakers at Zea Mays Printmaking (ZMP). As artists, we often work alone, but since 2000, ZMP has been a communal studio of support, education, and friendship… Our artistic work comes together as the sheltering structure of this small, peaceful space… as an ice shanty, and as a community studio. 

The pyramid is a stable structure that can represent hope. On the outside, our pyramid shanty is divided into three horizontal sections. The topmost section is made from plexiglass plates used for monotype printmaking processes, and the imagery on these plates reference the sky and cosmos—worlds that are over our heads but very far from us. The middle layer consists of metal plates used for etching. The imagery on these plates leaves to cosmos behind and looks at the world around us., though from a distance: landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes distant from where we stand. The lowest level is filled with woodblocks that are used in relief printmaking. On these plates, the subjects are brought up close to us: portraits, ice fishing tools, boots, mittens. These three levels represent three ways of experiencing what is around us in this life, and their imagery on this shanty makes the small structure something more than a pyramid standing on the ice. 

It becomes a place of joy and shared warmth where we can connect with our world and with each other.

The Zea Mays Artistic Ice Shanty, Shared Visions Near and Far, has been installed in the Atrium at the Brooks House in Brattleboro, Vermont. Please contact Mitchell•Giddings Fine Arts for more information.

The mission of ZMPis to research, teach, and foster printmaking that is safer for the planet and for artists. In keeping with that environmental vision, our ice shanty is entirely made of prints and recycled plates and woodblocks. The wood and plexiglass used in the structure of the shanty had previous lives—the plexiglass sheets are all retired etching beds and the wood pieces are mostly from dismantled projects that had served their intended purpose. ZMP is a professional printmaking studio, workshop, gallery, educational facility, and research center dedicated to providing a space and fostering a community for creating prints with the safest and most sustainable materials and practices available. ZMP collaborates with artists, studios, and schools around the world to share innovations in non-toxic and sustainable printmaking. 

More information about Zea Mays Printmaking