For residents of the Upper Midwest and Canada—the land of lakes—ice shanties are ubiquitous winter fixtures. From the huge temporary villages that emerge on Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago for sturgeon-spearing season to ramshackle, hand-built huts dotting Ontario’s Lake Simcoe, these vernacular structures are designed around openings or hatches in the floors so that hardy northerners can fish through holes drilled in the ice. It’s this unique tradition, combined with artistic flair, that serves as the inspiration for Art Shanty Projects.
Every winter, the Minneapolis-based program initiates an interactive series of projects on the lima bean-shaped Lake Harriet, located a few miles southwest of downtown. Dozens of artists construct one-of-a-kind huts that the public is invited to explore and interact with over the course of four weekends.
For the 2026 season, Art Shanty Projects commissioned local artists Emily Quandahl and Madeline Cochran for a bright, inviting, collaborative shelter. Quandahl’s practice predominantly centers around painting, and Cochran takes a multimedia approach to two-dimensional work, often incorporating textiles and weaving techniques.
For their “Quilt Shanty,” the duo conceived of a vibrant, blanket-like patchwork design that transports the feeling of comfort out into the lake’s stark openness. “We wanted to take a literal approach to the ‘barn quilt‘ by stretching a tactile textile over an agricultural form—specifically a hoop house,” Quandahl tells Colossal.
A hoop house is a structure often used in gardens and agricultural settings that comprises a tunnel covered in PVC sheeting, which protects plants and can extend the growing season by a few weeks. Both artists grew up in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin and Minnesota, indelibly influenced by the region’s rural lifeways revolving around farming and deep-seated community.
“Quilt Shanty” blends Cochran’s interest in folk illustrations through muslin compositions and interactive wooden quilt-square puzzle pieces. Quandahl constructed the hoop house frame and the 9-by-16-foot quilt made of studio scraps, vinyl, and drop cloths that encompasses it. To go along with Cochran’s wooden pieces, Quandahl also designed a trifold screen that serves as a key to the puzzle.
“During our month on the ice, we found that nearly everyone who stepped into the shanty had a story to tell, whether it was about a quilt they inherited, a family member who taught them to sew, or a specific pattern that reminded them of home,” Quandahl says. “This collaboration really harkened back to the idea of a quilting bee. Historically, these weren’t just about sewing; they were social anchors for a community through communal labor.”
Explore more of both Quandahl and Cochran’s work on Instagram.
Discussion about this post