The World Snow Sculpting Championship in Minnesota will not feature an entry from the United States, after Team USA violated competition rules by turning its sculpture into an anti-ICE symbol.
Organizers claim that American sculptors designed their entry to feature hands that spelled, “ICE out,” “unity,” and “resist” in American Sign Language. Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce President Robin Anthony-Evenso informed local media on Wednesday that the design violated competition rules.
Anthony-Evenso explained that the American team was aware of the competition rules. The anti-ICE entry was titled “Call to Arms.”
The overtly political message was not a part of the original design. However, as team captain Dusty Thune told the Pioneer Press, the concept was changed after anti-ICE activist Renee Good was killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis.
“In a world where division is growing, we all have an equal responsibility to do our part to stay united,” Team USA said while describing their entry.
“A Call to Arms is a figurative expression urging people to take action, often in response to a crisis or conflict. It is a rallying cry to engage in a particular cause. It is going to take each and every one of us to keep our democracy healthy and viable for future generations. Everyone needs to lend a “hand” to keep our society moving forward.”
In their statement on Tema USA’s disqualification, the committee noted that the American team’s design violated the competition’s rule to “respect cultural and social values, avoiding offensive, controversial, political, or inappropriate themes.”
The committee wrote, “The USA team’s sculpture included hand gestures that did not align with pre-established rules and policy,” the statement read.
Team Canada ended up winning the competition.
Thune claims that Team USA did not initially plan to include anti-ICE messages. Instead, he claims that poorly compacted snow filled with debris led to the design changes.
“We made the choice to focus on bigger hands and shorter arms to try and salvage our piece,” Thune said. “Sometimes the medium decides the way a piece is going to be created.”
He added, “Sometimes external events also have a hand in shaping what a piece will become.”
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