Elizabeth Meggs’s Experience as a Participating Artist at 2022 Governors Island Ice Sculpture Show!

On behalf of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the Trust for Governors Island, the submissions from ten creative artists were selected to the first-ever 2022 Governors Island Winter Ice Sculpture Show. Artists were paired with skilled carvers from Okamoto Studio to complete their pieces and turned blocks of ice into glistening pieces of temporary artworks.

Elizabeth Meggs, a Brooklyn-based artist, designer, and writer was one of the ten artists who in her blog post beautifully described her experience being the ice sculpture artist at the 2022 Governors Island Winter Ice Sculpture Show.

Elizabeth writes:

"I submitted the following brief description of the proposed ice sculpture:

The phrase “WOW MOM” has multiple meanings:

1. It refers to the matrilineal clan system, and matrilocal society, of the area’s indigenous Lenape people.

2. It presents the word “WOW” as it would look reflected in water, in a nod to the area’s island and nautical roots.

3. The phrases “WOW” and/or “WOW MOM” are exuberant expressions likely used through history to share the excitement of seeing the New York City skyline and harbor for generations of visitors and immigrants, and currently to share the joy of Governor’s Island’s new Hills, especially the longest slide in New York City! Because Governor’s Island is a beacon for children and an ideal place to play, the phrase “WOW MOM” considers the joyful exuberance of children, in an optimistic look toward a bright future bolstered by the work of the Center for Climate Solutions.

Using a palindrome that can be interpreted in every direction, both forward and backward, for a clear medium such as ice is ideal because it can be read from all sides. Plus, in a broader sense, the concept of a palindrome, going both forward and backward at once, reflects our society’s continuing efforts to understand the past and history while forging a humanitarian and positive path forward. After the challenging and heartbreaking 2+ years of the Covid-19 pandemic, an expression of exuberance, realized in “WOW MOM” reminds us of brighter days that are surely ahead." Read the full blog post here!