SPORTS

Artists, friends, fans flock to annual snow sculpting

Nora G. Hertel
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

WAUSAU — Cheryl Ostrowski traveled from Stevens Point Sunday to see a snow sculpture take shape at the Woodson Art Museum in Wausau.

"It's amazing," Ostrowski said. "It's nice that it's available for us to see."

While Team USA, the three artists carving the sculpture, converged in Wausau from different parts of the state, Michael Sponholtz, Mike Martino and Tom Queoff also have traveled the world together. The team won a bronze medal in the 1998 Winter Olympic Arts Festival in Japan for its craft. They carved their fur-lined faces into a packed block of snow, themed "Mount Snowmore," for their 25th annual visit to the Woodson this weekend.

"For the 25th year, it was kind of a nice idea to make a tribute to the artists that worked on it," said Lois Wierzba, a gallery attendant at the museum who takes a few moments to study the sculpture as she comes and goes.

Portraiture is a common theme at the Woodson right now, said Marketing and Communications Manager Amy Beck, considering the faces in Mount Snowmore and exhibits on Central Wisconsin School of Ballet masks and National Geographic photographs.

Spectators take in the scene Sunday as Team USA snow sculptors work on a giant self-portrait called “Mount Snowmore” at the Woodson Art Museum in Wausau.

Over the years the artists have built up a rapport with museum staff and with local fans of their work.

"We always say it's like going home when we come here," Sponholz said. When in town, the sculptors sometimes attend Mass at Church of the Resurrection. "We don't know anybody by name and we hear, 'Hey guys, great to see you back,'" Sponholz said

They don't mind taking questions from passersby while they work. Many people, some elderly, will drive by throughout the process to watch the snow evolve into art.

"Year after year like that, you get to know the people. They become your friends. The people in the town, they're appreciative and they're respectful," Martino said.

The artists also like Wausau, because museum staff do what they can to set up a block of pure, packed snow.

"This is a museum, they appreciate good, quality artwork. There's that whole aspect of this that you might not find at every venue," Martino added. "We appreciate it as a work of art, but a lot of times people don't see that."

Art enthusiasts are drawn to their work as well. Samantha Kimmons made a special stop at the museum just to see the sculpture Sunday. The 15-year-old is into photography and the sculpture struck her as "unique."

Ostrowski is not an artist herself but thought the work inspired "something a little more than a snowman," she said.

Team USA likely will finish Mount Snowmore Monday and work this week on a different snow sculpture for Wausau Events' Winter Fest Jan. 31 on The 400 Block.

Nora G. Hertel can be reached at 715-845-0665. Find her on Twitter as @nghertel.