12/31/2006

Northern People

Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner
Steven Berkshire, owner of Ice Impressions, carves an ice sculpture display in front of City Centre Plaza at Cass and East State streets.

Ice sculptor makes an impression

Steven Berkshire is doing what he loves

By AL PARKER

Special to the Record-Eagle

TRAVERSE CITY — Steven Berkshire is a hot commodity in the cool world of ice sculpting.

The 41-year-old Traverse City man went to Washington, D.C., last month at the invitation of the Norwegian Embassy to sculpt a life-sized polar bear out of a 1,400-pound block of ice.

The 4-foot-tall creation was inside the historic Union Station as part of the Norwegian Embassy's Christmas celebration.

The polar bear is a well-known figure in Norwegian culture. The enormous white bear is surrounded by mystique, appearing in many Norwegian fairy a legendary tale about "Kvitbjoern (the white bear) and the Princess” that many Norwegians know by heart.

"Ice sculpting is a medium I really enjoy,” said Berkshire, who sculpted the polar bear in about 12 hours. "It's a medium that allows you to express your creativity and your passion — and that's the key.”

Berkshire gained notoriety in the ice-sculpting world as captain for the winning Team USA at the 2006 World Ice Art Championship in Fairbanks, Alaska. Team USA received several awards at the competition, including the "First Place, International Golden Chisel Award” for its 28-foot-tall sculpture of "Balto's Charge.”

Berkshire teamed with three other ice sculptors — Mark Johnson from Wonder Lake, Ill., Carl Eady from Fairbanks and Stan Kolonko from Auburn, N.Y. — on the award-winning piece. It was a tribute to the Alaskan malamute, Balto, who weathered a 674-mile journey in blizzard conditions to deliver diphtheria serum to Nome in 1925.

Balto was led by musher Gunner Kasson and joined by 19 other sled dog teams. The trek saved Nome from a diphtheria epidemic that had killed five children. Balto's bravery was immortalized by Walt Disney Pictures and inspired the annual Iditarod dog sled race.

Berkshire designed and directed the sculpting of Team USA's finished work, which measured more than 28 feet tall and 30 feet wide and weighed more than 50,000 pounds. In contrast, an average buffet sculpture weighs approximately 300 pounds.

When he's sculpting, Berkshire uses a variety of tools, including die grinders, individual hand saws, trim saws and chain saws. All of the chains are custom modified on the saws.

Berkshire was an assistant food and beverage director before launching his ice sculpting business — Ice Impressions — about 18 months ago.

He provides ice sculptures for exhibitions, corporate functions and special events, including a recent presentation for the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority.

"I love what I do,” said the self-taught sculptor. "I enjoy everything about ice sculpting. I enjoy making each piece — each one is special.”

For more information on Berkshire's work, visit www.ice-impressions.com.