Challenge:

The Minneapolis Institute of Art was looking for a large-scale, surprising way to draw visitors as well as media attention during the 2018 Super Bowl.

Based on our success with creating a huge ice dragon celebrating their 100 year anniversary in 2015, we decided to revisit this concept – this time as a 20’x 40’ and 7’ high ice maze in the shape of the Mia logo – on the museum grounds.

Timing and budget were key here – we needed to keep an eye on the weather and work closely with our vendor partner, the city, and the local neighborhood to design  and construct efficiently and within budget.

Action:

We hosted multiple brainstorm and information sessions with Mia staff to ensure best ideas were chosen and all execution factors were considered and covered.

As with the ice dragon project, communication was key – I was in close daily contact with the ice sculpture team, the Mia team, and the city to coordinate construction and removal.

Results:

Mia had their largest engagement ever on a Facebook event – over 100,000 responses!

Coverage from both local and national outlets.

The ice maze also acted as a great promotion for an exhibit opening just after Super Bowl weekend.