US EditionTeam USA snow sculpture in Stillwater removed over ‘ICE out’ messaging
- Team USA's entry was removed from Lowell Park on Monday after organizers said last-minute changes added hand gestures spelling ASL messages including `ICE out`.
- The World Snow Sculpting Championship rules state that teams must adhere to their original submitted sketch, and organizers said the team modified the sculpture on Jan. 19 after discovering more hidden messages, violating policy.
- The submitted sketch depicted a sphere of outstretched hands called `A Call to Arms`, and Team USA—captained by Dusty Thune, St. Paul artist and veteran snow sculptor, with Dan Belcher and Josh Jakubowski—added peace signs and ASL gestures during carving and did not place.
- Organizers received several complaints and called the actions `unnecessary and divisive` in a Jan. 20 letter, citing harm to the nonprofit sponsor.
- International participants criticized the takedown as at odds with cultural exchange, and organizers noted a similar incident at the Vulcan Snow Park linked to the St. Paul Winter Carnival.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Winter Carnival snow sculpture altered over anti-ICE statements
Less than an hour after the “tools down” call ended the 2½-day Minnesota State Snow Sculpting Competition at the Vulcan Snow Park at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds last Sunday, Jan. 25, sculptor Logan Thomas looked over at his team’s creation and was surprised by what he saw. A snow sculpture is shown at the Vulcan Snow Park at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Jan. 28, 2026, without the "ICE OUT MN" inscription and whistle sculpture that had …
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Team USA snow sculpture in Stillwater removed over ‘ICE out’ messaging
Team USA’s sculpture for the World Snow Sculpting Championship in downtown Stillwater has been removed. Championship officials cited changes the sculptors made in response to recent federal immigrant enforcement. The original design featured a sphere of outstretched hands. It was called “A Call to Arms.” But Team USA, which includes St. Paul artist Dusty Thune and teammates Dan Belcher and Josh Jakubowski, decided during the making of the sculpt…
The World Cup is being held in the state of Minnesota, whose largest city, Minneapolis, has seen two civilians killed by ICE agents in recent weeks.
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