NORTH DAKOTA | Block #4
Team Name: Jay Ray w/SnoKraft
Sculpture Title: The Nemean Lion
Artist Statement: The Nemean Lion, in Greek mythology is the legendary monster that terrorized the region of Nemea reducing it to a baron wasteland until the beast was bested by everyone's favorite demi-god, Hercules. The battle was commemorated by the Greek pantheon of deities by the creation of the constellation "Leo". The epic battle between the two "invincible" beasts has been a muse to artists for centuries, with depictions in marble, paint, bronze and now snow.
Team Members:
- Jay Ray (Captain) - Carpenter by day and power log sculptor by night. I started snow carving in 2019 at a local competition called "Frostival" and have been hooked ever since. I have taken home the winner’s trophy twice and a pair of other local carvers, Mike Nelson and Josh Zeis, have taken it home twice as well. After this year’s local "Frostival" event, Mike, Josh and I will combine into a team to accept the challenge of competing against national level competitors at the Lake Geneva event.
- Mike Nelson - Mike Nelson is a working artist based in Fargo ND. Mike is co-owner of mothership workshop, an art and design studio specializing in concrete furniture. Mike studied fine art and creative writing at the University of North Dakota and later Minnesota State University Moorhead where he completed his Fine Art BA with a focus on painting. As an artist, Mike has participated in several exhibitions since college, most recently as a featured artist in the "Exposure" show in 2019 as well as part of a new conceptual furniture design show at Ecce Gallery in 2017. Mike began snow carving competitively through the local event "Frostival" in which his team SnoKraft has traded wins with local competitor and national teammate Jay.
- Josh Zeis - Joshua Zeis is an artist based out of Fargo, ND. Outside of his studio practice, he is a ceramics instructor at the Plains Art Museum Center for Creativity and a co-owner of a design company called Mothership Workshop which focuses on concrete furnishings. Zeis also engages other veterans, their families, and the public in object-oriented dialogue on war and survival. In 2014, Zeis received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the George Washington University in Washington, DC and his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NDSU in 2011. He has participated in residencies and workshops in various places throughout the US such as: Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (Maine), Red Lodge Clay Center (Montana), Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts(Maine), and St John’s Pottery Studio (Minnesota).
Team North Dakota is proudly sponsored by:
Team North Dakota is proudly hosted by:
