Art in the heart of winter

Debut festival brings curiosity and creativity to Macaulay Park

As Krista Dalby pauses in her busy schedule for an interview on Sunday afternoon, she lets out a tired but relieved sigh. After a year of preparation, a month of workshops and a sprint to install the five brightly coloured “ice boxes” in Macaulay Park, the first weekend of the Ice- Box Festival was a resounding success. “Everybody just loves it,” says Dalby. “And one of the amazing things about the installation aspect is that you really don’t know what to expect before you open that door, so there’s quite an element of surprise.” The festival centres around the five wooden sheds, each with a different theme. One shed features embroidery and is set up as a cabin in the woods, with nooks and crannies for inquisitive little ones to explore.

Another shed has a Plexiglas panel upon which visitors can draw a portrait. Building blocks with images of Macaulay House, popup scenes hidden behind wallpaper, and a roomful of stories round out the other sheds.

Three-year-old Leah Whitfield makes apple tea in the stitch shed.

There were outdoor activities too. Tarayn Hiddink led a fun-filled session of snow pants yoga on Saturday morning, principally directed to children, but more than a handful of adults took part in the zany poses. It was a winter sports-themed yoga exercise, where the “poses” were chosen by the participants based upon their favourite wintertime outdoor activity. A symbolic toboggan run had everyone laughing uproariously. Later in the afternoon, Arwyn Carpenter led an interpretive dance session where participants could don a cardboard bird or animal head and act out the movements. Members of the Picton Recreation Committee had snowshoes for the more adventurous to take a walk in the woods. Over in Macaulay Museum, the Wellington Lions Club had a canteen serving up cookies and hot drinks. Visitors could also take a self-guided tour through Macaulay House and sample wood-fired pizza or have a cup of hot soup to banish the winter chills.

Artist Nell Casson says that all of the hard work that went into creating her embroidery-themed installation was worth it. “It’s been really phenomenal,” she says. “There’s been so many young families here, people new to the County, all ages. And everyone is responding the same—with joy.” The response to Sarah Selecky and Susanne Larner’s story-themed shed was more introspective. “Some people come in here and they just sort of go quiet and start reading,” says Selecky. “Some people just go to the pens and paper and start writing. It seems to be a reflective space, and I’ve heard it really stays with people. There’s something in seeing everybody’s handwriting that really sticks to you.”

For Dalby, the outdoor dance was one of the highlights of the weekend, although she had to have a long pause before choosing it among the other special activities. “It was part of my original vision to have some sort of outdoor dance component,” she says. “It was just beautiful. So many people, both kids and adults really got into it.” That theme of outdoor dance and music is what the festival will close on next Sunday. “On the last hour of the last day, we’re doing a community procession along the grounds of Macaulay. It will be some sort of winding path around the property, a joyful expression with this beautiful location as backdrop.”