Smokin' hot: Ice dragon sculpture dazzles

NIA's Ice Dragon(Photo: KARE)MINNEAPOLIS — A new frozen creature rising near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis is turning heads.A giant dragon ice sculpture is the latest part of the 100th birthday celebration of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts."We wanted to celebrate creativity outside of our walls. We knew this would be big and stop people in their tracks, and we are so pleasantly surprised when people come up and see the detail," said Kristin Prestegaard, the MIA Chief Engagement Officer.The ice dragon is inspired by similar sculptures in the MIA Asian art collection and is being sculpted from 60 tons of ice, weighing 250 to 300 pounds a piece.Chris Swarbrick, owner of Ice Occasions, is leading the project and says he and his team from around the country hauled in 280 blocks of ice to make the vision reality."There are not that many projects this size that happen in America every year, so we are lucky enough to do it here in the Twin Cities. The weather is a little cold, but today's beautiful. Today's the perfect day to be carving some ice and we are excited to get this done," said Swarbrick.The masterpiece already brightens Minnesota's landscape, as runners and walkers stop to take pictures."This time of year, I get depressed because it's cold. I want spring," said Ron Ramsdell, a runner who lives nearby. "It's one of the blessings of the Twin Cities, stuff like this."The sculpture is part of 52 surprises the MIA has planned throughout the year to celebrate its 100th birthday. Made, a women-owned custom product agency based in Uptown, helped execute the project for MIA."If you come and look up close the details are gorgeous, exceeding all of our expectations," said Prestegaard.The dragon was initially supposed to be on Lake Calhoun and was moved to land for safety reasons after the warm January, but current weather conditions are ideal for the project.The ice dragon will be completed late Friday night and ready to view Saturday. People can hashtag photos with #BDAYMIA.Vanilla Ice: Burglary arrest 'blown out of proportion'Feb 19, 2015