February 1st, 2007 by tim
ICE + Snow opened with a bang on December 1, 2006. Greenwood Village Mayor, Nancy Sharpe welcomed the large crowd to the lighting event along with Musuem Director Cynthia Madden Leitner, Funding partner John W. Madden Jr. (John Madden Company) and Artist Lonnie Hanzon. With 40,000 visitors through the month of Decemer, we are already in the works for next years ICE+Snow event.



Go to this link for images of the event.
View Images
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November 2nd, 2006 by tim

It seems like only yesterday that we were perspiring while taking preliminary measurements and re-evaluating layouts under the intense rays of the Colorado summer sunshine. Last week, bundled up in down jackets and amidst scattered patches of snow, the whole crew began installing at Samson Park. The MOA crew, Virgina, Ryan, Tim and I, had a hand in the installation process, namely the Samson Fountain project.
When we arrived, we were surprised to discover that we had to actually engage in some ‘real’ gardening, i.e. pulling up the living flower beds to make way for Lonnie’s electric, sculptural renditions! Working in our mechanical garden, we were relieved to find that our patterns, layout, and electrical connections worked perfectly. The satisfaction of seeing a work of art finally put in place after countless hours and days of work is inexpressible. These feelings will only be surpassed after we see the guaranteed looks of wonder on your faces come opening night, December 3rd.


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October 14th, 2006 by tim
ICE + SNOW
[scrolls for Lamppost Parade]
As leaves begin falling off the trees and the
first frosts highlight the ground, new projects for
Ice + Snow
are still in production at the
The picture above shows a component of the installation, called the “Lamppost Parade,” that we recently completed assembling. Steel, scroll-like extensions were created to be fitted into a sleeve/collar that will be attached to existing lampposts in Samson Park. Each steel extension was then decorated with ropelight and an embellishment called billboard pallettes. Billboard pallettes are essentially thin reflectors that create a dazzling prismatic effect when struck by the slightest bit of light.
Here, the scrolls are magically brought to life by the light display in the Madden Gallery. In the drawing, you can see an original sketch by Lonnie, illustrating his preliminary ideas for the design of the lampposts.
When the we visited Samson Park this summer to unearth possibilities and consider limitations, we were frequently visited by an adorable bunny. The bunny’s friendly company soon became a source of creative inspiration–Lonnie cooked up a brand new light element in a matter of days: a rabbit sequence, or a series of still images of rabbits in the form of light boxes. When the ten rabbit images are put in order and are lit up one-by-one, it will appear as if one rabbit is in motion.
Virginia & Ryan assembling the rabbit light boxes.
Close-up of an individual light box; 6 light boxes in the sequence.
Please continue to scroll down for past posts about Ice+Snow!
Also, to learn more about the origins about the installation project, please see the post: Ice+Snow.
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October 6th, 2006 by tim
Tonight is the night. We are expecting a great turn out for our latest exhibit “Sculpture in Clay”. After an intense three week installation with ten artists featured we are finally ready to show it off! Please come and check it out. It truly is an amazing exhibit!
-Tim

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September 28th, 2006 by tim
The Fountain construction…continued

Still a work in progress…the Samson Fountain project has been a much more involved and intricate process than either Tim or I had anticipated! However, I think it will be all the more beautiful for you.

Ella laying out the ‘bouquets’ in their designated beds, and
Tim planting the flowers.
About two weeks ago, we completed attaching EL wire to the copper flower forms. This was just the beginning, however. Now, everything must be electrically connected–a sort of puzzle in itself.
In addition, Lonnie designed new, grass-inspired forms that will enhance and amplify the garden effect. His process is far from static; throughout the project, elements are revised, transformed and even invented.
Due to the exciting new exhibit Sculpture in Clay (opening October 6th) at MOA, Tim and I have not been able to work on Ice + Snow recently. We have been busy installing the new show, as an exhibit of this kind entails a process which is very labor intensive . Much to our delight, we have received back-up forces: Lonnie’s long-term, personal assistant, Virginia, came to join in the fun at Studio 5 in MOA. Not long after, Ryan, joined our super crew too. Recently relocated to Denver, Ryan has worked on previous projects with Lonnie.
Virginia in the midst of laying out our grid–
essentially how we ‘plant’ the flowers.
Getting close, but still a ways to go.
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August 25th, 2006 by tim

This week Ella and I spent hours constructing the electroluminescent flowers for Samson Fountain. And we’ve still got a ways to go…
Samson Fountain
–As summer turns to fall and fall into winter, common garden flowers will be
replaced by something that you won’t want to miss!–
Ice + Snow Flowers
An electric ‘garden’ of Lonnie’s design will replace the flowers you see now around Samson Fountain, located directly inside the main entrance to Samson Park. The vision is to create a breath of life in the dead of winter, using simple strands of light wound around copper wire. Earlier this summer, we bent the copper wire into shapes that are loose renditions of flowers, but could be more aptly described as pure, flowing, organic forms. Electroluminescent (or EL wire) lighting is applied to the copper structure using zip-ties to create a sculptural glowing effect that your eyes will be glued to. Click here to learn more about EL wire.