Artist Jaylen of Clear Cut Ice Sculptures of Commerce Township performs a live ice sculpting demonstration the afternoon of Dec. 5 at PEACE Park East as Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Amanda Sancen, Dearborn special events and outreach manager, watch from nearby.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Most Michiganders hate ice when it’s on the roads, sidewalks and windshields, but Dearborn celebrated the chill aspects of ice as sculpture Dec. 5 at PEACE Park East.
The Ice Sculpture Walk, which featured finished sculptures and live demonstrations by artist Jaylen of Clear Cut Ice Sculptures of Commerce Township, drew warmly dressed spectators to watch as he demonstrated his precision ice carving technique with a chainsaw and a die grinder.
Finished nearby sculptures by the Clear Cut Ice Sculpture team included a bear, Detroit Lions, Henry Ford’s Model T, a gingerbread house, a snowflake, a steaming mug, and an Islamic crescent and star.
Amanda Sancen, Dearborn’s special events and outreach manager with the Downtown Development Authority, said this was the inaugural year for the ice sculpture walk, which was developed because city officials wanted to activate the space in the winter, which will allow them to have winter events in both PEACE Parks, in the east and west sides of town.
“What’s beautiful about the east district is it has its own personality and really focuses more so on the arts, so when we think about the arts and what sort of media we could use in the winter, the first thing that came up was ice sculpture,” she said. “So, we are really excited to give this event a try and see how the community likes it.
“We know it’s cold, but it’s perfect weather for what the event is and we’re very excited about bringing the nine sculptures to the park this first year and really giving a kickoff for the season for us.”
A Detroit Lions ice sculpture is on display the afternoon of Dec. 5 at PEACE Park East.
Sancen said they provided the sculpture topics and the Clear Cut team brought them to life, with Jaylen doing live demonstrations.
“PEACE Park East is a special place for all of us, and prior to the renovation and the space being created to bring people together, we hosted events here but it felt like something was missing, and now with the space the way it is we have been able to host multiple activations throughout all seasons now,” Sancen said. “So, we have the community coming through, visitors coming through and it’s just really exciting to showcase all the wonderful things that we have here in the community here in Dearborn in both districts, so it warms you up on a very cold day.”
Working nearby, Jaylen said wearing the right kind of gear, especially on his hands, is a key component of staying warm when doing outdoor ice sculpting.
“Eventually you will get cold because it’s just a matter of time,” he said. “The cold seeps through your gloves and even when I’m working in the freezer at the shop, I always have to take a break once in a while and warm my hands up.”
Jaylen said he has been ice sculpting since Clear Cut hired him last February.
He said he and their team worked hard the past week to create all the sculptures on display in PEACE Park East.
Jaylen said he studied graphic design in college and he’s done some multi-media work, and he worked with clay a bit and enjoyed that, so when he saw this job posting he correctly assumed he would enjoy ice sculpting as well.
Amanda Sancen, Dearborn special events and outreach manager, enjoys the Ice Sculpture Walk the afternoon of Dec. 5 at PEACE Park East.
“It’s got its own challenges and it is really fun,” he said.
Jaylen uses a chain saw and die grinders, which are essentially Dremel tools, which have different bits that will provide different textures and effects.
“I use those to finish up the detail work, and then I have a little hand saw over there, as well, that I use to smooth out the curves and get everything looking just perfect,” he said.
Jaylen said most of their ice sculptures are delivered to indoor venues and melt within a day, so the outdoor sculpture walk is a rare occurrence that will allow the work to be on display for a while.
He said it’s exciting to see people come and watch him sculpt.
“Not a lot of people know that ice sculpting is even a career, so it’s really invigorating to see people come up and want to take pictures and ask questions,” Jaylen said. “It gets me motivated to do the best that I can.”
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who was nearby watching the ice sculpture demonstration, said that despite attendee complaints about the cold, 28 degrees Fahrenheit with no wind is a perfect day for outdoor ice sculpting.
“We’re just happy to create more family-oriented events, and obviously the ice sculptures will stay out here,” he said. “So, you have the cold weather that’s here, so the ice sculptures will be going nowhere.
“Don’t touch, don’t lick, don’t try to get near them, but it’s great to create this kind of atmosphere.”
Above and below, ice sculptures are on display the afternoon of Dec. 5 at PEACE Park East.
