Third Annual Ice Sculpture Show On Governors Island; Winning Designs To Be Judged By Celebrity Jurors

Governors Island Arts and Times Square Arts announce selected finalists and jury members for Governors Island's third annual Ice Sculpture Show, set to take place on Saturday, February 3, 2024, from 12 to 5p.m.

This unique annual event provides New Yorkers and visitors from around the world with the singular opportunity to experience live ice carving alongside the open space, and cultural, educational, and historic resources and attractions that Governors Island offers year-round. The festive winter event will coincide with the Times Square Arts' annual Love in Times Square celebration on February 14, 2024, which celebrates Valentine's Day with weddings, surprise proposals and vow renewals. 

The Governors Island Ice Sculpture Show is presented by Governors Island Arts and Times Square Arts, with lead support from the Friends of Governors Island. Generous support for the event is provided by New York Water Taxi.

This year's esteemed jury panel that will select the winners includes creative agent at  large and cast member of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City Jenna Lyons, writer and editor Miya Lee, New York City Council Member and Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations Chi Ossé, and Hollis Kam, Senior Vice President of People and Culture at Times Square Alliance and decade-long ordained wedding officiant for Love in Times Square.

2024 Ice Sculpture Show Finalists:

• Art Domantay and Roberto Flores (@domantayart)  — Domantay is known for his fabrication work on ambitious public art projects. . In his collaboration with Flores, they propose a multi-dimensional, kinetic heart sculpture activated by human touch. 

• Azikiwe Mohammed (@misterace12) — As a native New Yorker, Mohammed plans to depict the notorious King Kong, paying homage to the ape's tale as an immigrant and his complicated yet legendary love story with New York City.

• Katerina Sokolovskaya (@katerina.sokolovskaya.art)— For her ethereal concept, hands and legs emerge from a cloud as two hidden people embrace within it. Sokolovskaya aims to take an abstract and escapist approach to the theme of love. 

• Lloyd Foster (@_lloydfoster) — Foster frequently features angels in his work, and plans to use this motif as a symbol of love for his art piece. Hearts will replace the angel's wings for his “Love Angels” sculpture.

• Zeelie Brown (@zeeliebrownlovesyou) — Brown poses a sculpture that reflects her focus on Black love, soul, and New York City's natural and architectural landscapes. The piece aims to instill passersby with a sense of freedom, love, and connection to nature and place.  

• Lovie Pignata (@iLovieNY) — For her piece titled “Smitten,” Pignata depicts two cozy mittens with knit details touching to form a heart, referencing the beginning stages of love in the wintry months. 

• Josef Pinlac (@Istillheartnewyork)— Two hands conjoin to form a heart for Pinlac's work—a now viral worldwide symbol stemming from Japan—in which visitors have the opportunity to step inside the frame for a special moment of love. Pinlac is a member of Con Artist Collective in the Lower East Side. 

• Parastoo Ahovan (@parastooahovan)  — Ahovan's design represents a tree in an abstract form to suggest the interconnectedness of life and love. Each branch and leaf is symbolic of growth and life's meandering journey, while the roots delve into the rich soil of tradition and resilience.

• Akira Yoshimura (@akirayoshimura_) — Yoshimura demonstrates his love for New York City where he met his wife and friends with an ode in the shape of the King and Queen of hearts—the Queen's card depicting the Statue of Liberty and the King's card donning a quintessential NYC street vending cart.

• Sally Twin (@thesallybeauty)  — Twin's “Game of Love” is a dynamic take on love and the game of shuffleboard, allowing visitors to physically interact with the sculpture's playable pieces for an immersive experience. 

“For the third winter season in a row we have been able to offer New Yorkers and visitors a unique opportunity to witness live ice carving and to experience interactive public art right here on the Island,” said Clare Newman, President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island. “The Ice Sculpture Show is a unique example of all the fun winter activities that visitors can enjoy during the colder season. We welcome visitors of all ages to enjoy music and warm drinks, while experiencing the thrill of carving ice live with a chainsaw.”

“Governors Island has become home to a plethora of unique and engaging public arts programming, allowing visitors to experience and discover the creative visionaries from all over the world that innovate and design on the Island,” said Juan Pablo Siles, Associate Curator of Arts & Culture for the Trust. “We cannot wait to see what this incredible group of selected artists creates and look forward to welcoming visitors to vote on their favorite ice carved works while getting to experience a one-of-a-kind arts experience on the Island.” 

“We can't wait to see the winning design melt hearts in Times Square and become the sparkly and ephemeral anchor for our supersized celebration of love on Valentine's Day,” said Jean Cooney, VP of Arts & Culture for the Times Square Alliance.

Ten finalist artists were chosen and each finalist was awarded $2,000 and paired with a professional ice carver from Okamoto Studio, where sculptures will be carved in a free public event on Governors Island on Saturday, February 3, 2024, from 12 to 5 p.m. Visitors are invited to witness this real-time ice carving from 12 to 2 p.m., vote on their favorite sculpture for the “People's Choice Award: from 2 to 2:30 p.m., and enjoy an awards ceremony and reception from 2:30 to 5 p.m. This year's Ice Sculpture show will take place in historic Colonels Row and will also feature the district's lawn games, fire pits, and art exhibitions, along with food and drink year-round Governors Island vendor Makina Café and select additional food trucks. 

A larger-scale version of the winning sculpture will then be carved and installed by Okamoto Studio in Times Square as a visual anchor for the district's annual Valentine's Day events, where New Yorkers and visitors alike will celebrate love through surprise proposals, weddings, and a vow renewal ceremony on the Square's iconic Red Steps. Submission links to be a part of the festivities are below:

• Surprise Proposals

• Weddings 

• Renew Your Vows

During the winter months, Governors Island is open to the public daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Trust for Governors Island-operated ferries run daily between the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street in Lower Manhattan and Soissons Landing on the Island.   For schedules and ticketing information, visit www.govisland.org. For the event on February 3, special one-day service will be provided from Red Hook/Atlantic Basin and Pier 6/Brooklyn Bridge Park to Governors Island, with tickets and schedules to be available on Governors Island's website in the days leading up to the event.

Round-trip ferry tickets cost $4 for adults. Governors Island ferries are always free for children 12 and under, older adults ages 65 and up, residents of NYCHA, IDNYC holders, current and former military service members, and Governors Island members. Ferries before noon on Saturdays and Sundays are free for all. There is no surcharge for bicycles or strollers at any time. 

NYC Ferry is temporarily bypassing Governors Island for several weeks due to planned maintenance. NYC Ferry riders traveling to Governors Island from Brooklyn can take the ferry to Wall Street/Pier 11 and transfer to Trust-operated ferries at 10 South Street. 

Governors Island's award-winning park is open to the public every day, along with recreation activities like bike rentals, a Community Climbing Boulder, Hammock Grove, The Hills, Picnic Point, and more. Governors Island Arts public art commissions, including work from Duke Riley, Sam Van Aken, Rachel Whiteread, Mark Dion, Sheila Berger, and Mark Handforth are also currently on view throughout the Island. 

This winter also marks the return of Winter Dog Days, where dogs are allowed on Governors Island daily from December 1 through the end of April. Dogs must be leashed while on Governors Island except for in the Winter Dog Park, located in Colonels Row.