Art Shanty Projects Return To Lake Harriet

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Art Shanty Projects are a village of shanties inspired by ice fishing houses.

"We call it the extreme winter sport of art-making," Erin Lavelle, the Artistic Director said.

There are 22 different structures all on Lake Harriet. And the bitter cold over the weekend isn't keeping too many people away.

"It's really wonderful to come to work on a frozen lake when the wind chill is below zero and have the public come out with big smiles on their faces and they are all bundled, they have their layers on, and they are ready to experience art in this environment," Lavelle said.

One of the shanties is a portable sauna. Nickolai Koivunen and a friend built the sauna and knew it would be a perfect shanty.

"It's crazy looking, and people like to do crazy things here. Being in your swimsuit in this type of weather is you know, I thought it would fit in real well," Koivunen said.

If you want to check out the "Minnesauna" on Lake Harriet, you can sign up by clicking here. The Art Shanty Projects will be open to the public every Saturday and Sunday until February 9th.