New Orleans is a unique city known for many things, and Voodoo is one of them. There’s even a Voodoo museum.
updated and expanded 6/24/23 when restored to the new ice sculpting secrets site (you know, the one you’re on right now 😜)
a Voodoo mask ice sculpture design
This design MAY have appeared in a newsletter in 2001; the original text was pretty much as follows:
“Voodoo Mask”
Dawson List
ice dragon ice sculptures, New Orleans, LA
New Orleans is known for many things: gumbo, Jazz, and Mardi Gras to name just a few. But New Orleans is also the home of legendary Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, and it’s not uncommon for visitors to her tomb to bring her offerings in hopes of good luck. This sculpture does not pretend to invoke any mystical powers, but it would fit in at a spooky Halloween party or Voodoo bash. If you are familiar with ice painting, you could add fluorescent accents and make them shine with black lights. The sculpture is put together by welding a half-block slab on top of another and adding a base for extra stability.
this template features a less-than-idea center weld. And don’t forget to add a stabilizing base!
Looking back at what I wrote, I can now think of some much better ways to assemble this sculpture from a weld visibility point of view; having a weld right through the middle of the mask is not an ideal situation. But it is the easiest and quickest way to do it, so there’s that.
Regarding the ice painting, you might also consider sand colorfill; there are a variety of fluorescent color sands available. Look for discussions about sand and glitter colorfill techniques elsewhere on the site. But the rough and uneven engraving is reminiscent of how genuine Voodoo items look. Voodoo dolls and masks do not look polished and professional; they look hand-crafted, more like folk art than fine art. And don’t worry, an ice sculpted Voodoo mask is unlikely to bring down any bad mojo, regardless of whether or not you believe in the power of Voodoo.
what about cultural appropriation?
Is making a Voodoo mask ice sculpture or posting this design a form of cultural appropriation? Yes, of course it is. However, cultural appropriation can be mitigated some by making an effort to understand the culture that you’re borrowing aspects from.
I didn’t really consider appropriation as an issue when I first designed my Voodoo mask ice sculpture in 2001. I just wanted it to look cool and be somewhat faithful to actual Voodoo and the Voodoo culture that exists in New Orleans. Because I was looking for some level of authenticity though, I ended up learning something along the way. Should you decide to use this design, I’d encourage you to learn more as well with this fascinating article about Voodoo, along with its connections to slavery and Louisiana.
design variations?
Aside from the myriad of completely different Voodoo mask ice sculptures that you could create, I’d add one significant design variation for this one. I don’t have it yet (I’ll try to get to it later.), but this sculpture would look a lot better with a vertical weld instead of a horizontal one. I know it’s pretty easy to modify the design and you’re wondering why I don’t just do it now, but hey, I’m busy! And nobody is really clamoring for this change right now, so keep your pants on 🙄
to CNC or not to CNC
CNC machines are very good at engraving very precise designs and lettering that look super clean! That’s the only downside here. A Voodoo mask should look like handmade folk art. Voodoo is messy and imperfect. So if you made your Voodoo mask ice sculpture with a CNC, you’re going to have to add “mistakes” on purpose.
for more info and some guidelines
If you have any questions about my Voodoo mask ice sculpture design, email me or comment below. (It might not let you though if it’s been a while.) If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.
You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets IG account and you can comment there as well as below. Thanks!
