Finally, a use for the stuff

Prize-winning snow sculptor hopes to pack 'em in at a show in Geneva

February 17, 2008|By William Hageman, TRIBUNE REPORTER

Geneva artist Joe Gagnepain can usually be found working on large sculptures, combining found objects, cement, wood and paint to create giant animals or intriguing abstract pieces.

This week, though, his work will be less permanent. He's helping put together a snow-sculpting exhibition in downtown Geneva, modeling it after similar events he has been part of.

FOR THE RECORD - Additional material published Feb. 21, 2008:
A snow sculpting exhibition scheduled for this weekend in downtown Geneva and described in a Q section story Sunday has been canceled because of Sunday's rain and subsequent freezing temperatures. It has not been rescheduled.

"With the architecture and tourism, I knew [Geneva] would be a great snow-sculpting town," he says.

He and two friends, Stephen Bateman and Jason Anhorn, form a team called the Starvin' Carvists. They traveled to Italy last month for the International Snow Festival, which featured competition in two cities. Their "Fool of the World" won first prize in San Vigilio, and "Mother of Invention" placed second in San Candido.

"We went 6,000 miles to manipulate snow that will just melt," he says of the competition, which drew thousands of visitors. "It's a big draw there; they were like ski resort villages, and everyone turned out to see us."

Gagnepain, who has been sculpting snow for about three years, envisions the Geneva event the same way, "artists coming together, with the support of the town, and the tourists who'll come to town."

Gagnepain recently put down his snow saws to talk to us about his work.

Q: Were you big on making snowmen as a kid?

A: Yeah, I've always played in the snow. I built an igloo as a kid. We lived next to a park district area [in St. Charles], and I'd run around and around in the snow. Went sledding and so forth. And I was building some pretty big snowmen in the yard with my kids.

Q: How did you end up competing in Italy?

A: Steve did some research online and found out about it and we applied. I think 10 teams made it in. We'd known about it, that it was a big international event, and we wanted to go somewhere exotic.

Q: Three weeks in Europe is an expensive proposition. Do teams have sponsors?

A: The Canadian team got $18,000 in sponsorship. We didn't get to that point. We wanted to get matching uniforms. So I guess we looked like starving carvists.

Q: Were there prizes?

A: There was no money in Italy. We got some ham, cheese and wine. We drank the wine promptly, of course. And they gave out stipends the last day to help us get through Europe. It was mostly for pride.

Q: What is the competitive atmosphere like?

A: It's competitive, but it's more about trying to pull off your idea. You don't compete with the other teams as much as you challenge yourself to do the best you can. The Italian event, especially, without prize money, there wasn't a competitiveness until they were announcing the results. It was more a chance to socialize with people.

Q: Does a person need advanced artistic skills to be a snow sculptor?

A: As long as you have a three-dimensional artistic sense, and once you have the tools, there's no reason you can't pull it off.

Q: It's not like building a snowman.

A: It's a lot different, because [with a snowman] you have to pile the snow yourself. With this [artists are given large blocks of packed snow], the challenge is finding the art within that big block.

Q: What kind of tools do you use?

A: No power tools are allowed. We have a homemade saw, a 6-foot saw we made of aluminum. Ice chippers, those sidewalk things. Drywall saws, hand saws. We cut the teeth bigger. And we take those truss plates, like they use for joining joints, and we screw them to a piece of wood to use as sanders.

Q: How can people get started?

A: You can fill up a garbage can with snow, flip it over and carve. Simple garden tools are all you need. Wear gloves and decent boots. It's a great medium. I do metal sculptures. Compared to flying sparks and blisters, snow is much better.

The Sno Sculpting Exhibition runs Thursday through Saturday at 4th and State Streets in downtown Geneva. Admission is free. To see some of Gagnepain's other artwork, go to