Winter is Alive! a cooler world carnival is a multi-disciplinary event fusing art and spectacle to revision climate change and activate global relationship. Uniting us during late winter and the physical separations caused by COVID-19, Winter is Alive! gathers together diverse local and global perspectives to demonstrate the collaboration required to combat climate change. Winter is Alive! provides us the opportunity to reawaken a positive vision of the future where we collaborate to reduce climate change and create inclusive community between people and nature.

Tamsie Ringler, the Artistic Director of Winter is Alive! explains “In regard to the climate crisis, everybody’s voice is important on this issue. We have to pull together as a global community. We cannot keep taking the same path. We need to go beyond sustainability and figure out a way forward, beyond the solutions that have been comfortable before.” She continued with, “Part of this project is making everyone see what a wonderful, beautiful world we live in, so that we start taking care of it. It is very important that everybody participate. This is why this carnival is important. We tried to create a project that has something in it for everybody from snow sculptures to conceptual art.”

Winter is Alive! creates venues for personal reflection, environmental dialogue, and provocative inspiration. From the frozen lakes of Madison, Wisconsin, where UW Madison graduate students led by Ian Van D. construct a project conceptualized by Ojārs Feldbergs in Latvia called “Dying Iceberg” (demonstrating how artists can collaborate across distance, reducing the carbon footprint in executing their work) to the Downtown event kiosks where Darcy Padilla’s abstract images of Madison’s frozen lakes are imported to the middle of the Isthmus, visually and conceptually compelling installations will inspire action and dialogue.

Kia Karlen, Madison Arts Commission Chair says, “Tamsie came to the Madison Arts Commission with an initial proposal for one Blink project on frozen Lake Mendota and we were happy to fund it. Then she came back with Sustain Dane and presented her idea for Winter is Alive! and she promised us at least 10 works of temporary art to activate the frigid landscape and inspire action around environmental sustainability, and we were excited to support that too.” She added, “The way this effort grew exponentially, and so quickly, with additional community funding and involvement, and even global participation, gives me great hope for our collective ability to reverse climate change, with creativity and humor and cooperation to boot.”

In just three short months, sculptor and social practice artist Tamsie Ringler, her assistants artists Marc LaPointe and Anna Orbovich, along with a dedicated crew of organizers connected with artists, students, poets, health care workers, writers, scientists, performers, teachers, sales-associates, musicians, activists, politicians, farmers, makers and thinkers to create and share the spaces and narratives that envision and engage environmental change. Winter is Alive! asks makers and audiences to think about and share their answers the questions: What do you love about winter? What worries you about climate change? How do we all contribute to global cooling?

Winter is Alive! features outdoor sculptural installations by over 30 local and international artists including: Actual Size Artworks (Aris Georgiades & Gail Simpson), Eric Anang, Adriana Barrios, Lelia Byron, Ray Carruthers, Ojārs Feldbergs, Laura Feldberga, Jenie Gao, Aaron Granat & Thomas Ferrella, Emory Hall, Derek Kiesling and Jeff Chelf, Carlee Latimer, TL Luke, Michael Martino and Tom Queoff, Tomas Mathieu, Sara Meredith/Smere Tactics, Darcy Padilla, Polyester Projects (Anthony J Meadows and Elizabeth West), Bill Rice, Tamsie Ringler, Anna Orbovich, Marc La Pointe, Katherine Steichen Rosing, Carley Schmidt, TetraPAKMAN, William Grant Turnbull, Ian Van D., Anna Van Voorhis & Grant McFarland, Matthew Vivirito, Amy Wencel, Glenn Williams, Jeremy Wineberg and Rachel Bruya, Derick Wycherly and others.

Live streamed performative and narrative events including open-mics and forums (Hosts include DJ Paine 1, The JVN Project hosted by Dawry Ruiz, Rob Dz, and Madison Poet Laureate Angela Trudell Vasquez). Short programs, such as "A Live-Share" on Sunday, March 7, at 1:00 PM CST: https://youtu.be/x6GmM7ouAqI hosted by Madison’s Poet Laureate Angela Trudell Vasquez will include work from international artists and feature beautiful films, music, and poetry such as work by London artist Lynn Dennison. Themes relevant to seasonal festivals, rituals and activities will be reconsidered as transformative platforms for awareness and creative solutions to global warming and human reconciliation.

Winter is Alive! a cooler world carnival is presented by the City of Madison Arts Commission, Garver Events, and Sustain Dane. Additional financial support for Winter is Alive was generously provided by Clean Lakes Alliance, Dane Arts, Madison Parks Foundation, Madison Room Tax Commission, Andy and Carol Phelps, Wisconsin Salt Wise, and contributors to GoFundMeWinterisAlive! (http://bit.ly/fundwinterisalive)

This project is the collective endeavor of many individuals, organizations, businesses including: ACRE Residency, Actual Size Artworks, Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Arts + Literature Laboratory, Belwin Conservancy, Clean Lakes Alliance, Communication, Dane County Dept. and Waste and Renewables, DC Engineering, Downtown Madison Inc. East High School Art, FeLion Studios, Garver Feed Mill, JD McCormick Properties, J.H. Findorff & Sons Inc., The JVN Project, The Madison Central Business Improvement District, The Madison Children’s Museum, the Madison Metropolitan School District, MMoCA, Madison Parks, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Overture Center for the Arts, Rooted at Badger Rock, Rural Urban Flow, Studio Gear LLC , Sustain Dane, UnderBelly Collective. Wisconsin Film Festival, The University of Wisconsin Arboretum, The University of Wisconsin Sculpture Program.

For a list and map of projects and virtual events and more information about the Founding Director & Curator, Tamsie Ringler, the Program Director & Co-Curator, Marc La Pointe, the Website Designer and Curator, Anna Orbovich, and the crew who helped create Winter is Alive! please visit www.winterisalive.org .