Chicago's Millennium Park will come alive with color this weekend when Gordon Halloran's "Paintings Below Zero" opens there, marking the first time the Canadian artist has created an installation in the United States.

A colossal work of art constructed out of brilliantly colored sheets of ice, "Paintings Below Zero" is 95 feet long and stands nearly 12 feet high. The artist created it specifically to fit in the area of Millennium Park called the Chase Promenade - just east of the park's famous "Cloud Gate" sculpture (commonly known as the bean).

Mounted on a special modular refrigeration system, Halloran's ice paintings will serve as the centerpiece for a monthlong celebration in Millennium Park called the "Museum of Modern Ice." In addition to experiencing "Paintings Below Zero," visitors can take part in a variety of special, winter-themed events. And, for the ice skaters out there, Halloran has embedded an ice painting in the park's skating rink, as a complement to his abstract structure.

Instead of its usual gleaming white surface, skaters at the public rink can glide atop the colorful visions of this artist, who has created public works of art around the world, including an installation at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Chillin'

For Halloran, the "Museum of Modern Ice" celebration started more than a month ago in the below-zero temperatures of Chicago's Fulton Market's cold storage. There, in a space normally used to store meat, the artist and his crew spent weeks upon weeks filling shallow trays with pigments and water; building layers and creating textures in the ice; cutting and re-assembling the slabs; and finally cushioning them in bubble wrap for transport to the park.

It is a process that is not only time consuming (each panel is created in a three- to four-day sequence), but very chilly. Halloran and his assistants spent their days at the market bundled in outdoor gear in order to withstand the frozen climate.

Halloran, who was born and raised in Ontario, is not only used to such atmosphere, he embraces it. Having been fascinated by the way ice freezes and forms since his childhood days making backyard ice rinks, he developed his method of painting on ice in the early 1990s, following a successful career as an illustrator and painter in theater, film and visual art.

"My work is about our experience of cold and winter," Halloran said during a recent tour of his workshop in the Fulton Market. "This is a way of expressing those experiences visually."

His Chicago installation, which is his largest to date, was inspired by a glacial wall in its final stages of movement toward the ocean. Like a glacier, it will evolve as it is affected by the weather, as well as changes the artist will make throughout its monthlong exhibition.

"It is as if the work is alive," Halloran said. "It is a bit of a laboratory, really."

Jewels of ice

The constant evolution of Halloran's creations is one of the things that Tim Furness enjoys about working with the artist. Furness, a Vancouver, British Columbia, resident who has been part of Halloran's crew for "ages," says he likes the idea that "Mother Nature has a hand in it as well."

His role, which includes everything from helping make the ice panels to setting up the refrigeration equipment, is always interesting and challenging, he said.

"Every day is different, but the one constant is that it is always cold."

Because Halloran's work is forever changing, to fully appreciate "Paintings Below Zero," visitors should view it more than once during its time in Millennium Park. They should also walk around the installation in order to see it from various angles. As light coming from different directions hits the ice panels with their intricate textures, it creates a range of affects, the artist explained.

"When the light hits a piece, it is like a huge jewel for me," Halloran said. "And each time you look at it, you can see something different."

While some may see the work as sculptural, Halloran said he sees his installations as more about painting than sculpture.

"It is just that now you are able to see the paintings from all sides," he said.

If You Go

WHAT: Museum of Modern Ice Festival, Featuring Gordon Halloran's "Paintings Below Zero."

WHEN: Friday through Feb. 29. Hours for Millennium Park are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

WHERE: Millennium Park, on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe streets in downtown Chicago.

COST: Admission to Millennium Park and the ice rink is free. Skate rental is available for $9.

INFO: Visit http://www.museumofmodernice.com or http://www.millenniumpark.org

City's Cultural Center offers events

The Chicago Cultural Center, which is across the street from Millennium Park, is offering a series of special events in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Ice Festival.

The Center, at 78 E. Washington St., will be the festival's "Hot Spot" where visitors can warm up and enjoy weekend activities for all ages throughout the month of February.

The Center's cafe will feature live music at noon on Saturdays, as well as special hot drinks, ice painting cookies and a "Crystal City Sculpture" (created by the French Pastry School based on themes of fire and ice) throughout weekends.

Family-friendly films will be shown in the center's theater at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and tours of the Cultural Center will be given at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays. Sunday afternoons will also feature classical music concerts for all ages at 3 p.m.

Visitors can also browse the center's ongoing cultural exhibits, which range from a "Festival of Maps" to a photography show focusing on "Women of Islam."

Programs are free with no reservations required. For a complete list of activities go to http://www.museumofmodernice.com and click on "events schedule."

Weekend events at Millennium Park

Free public programming will be offered in the warmth of a heated tent on the Millennium Park grounds on weekends during the Museum of Modern Ice celebration. There, visitors will find family activities during the day and entertainment geared toward adults in the evenings.

Ice games, crafts and other hands-on activities - provided by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry and Purple Asparagus - will be offered from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

Guided tours of "Paintings Below Zero" will also depart from the tent at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays.

On Saturday evenings (except Feb. 16), visitors can "Chill Out" to a variety of electronic and acoustic music, along with related visuals projected on the Ice Max Theater - a six by 10 foot frozen video wall - in the tent. Special spirits-free cocktails will be available at the Ice Bar. These events are free, but reservations are required. To make reservations, call (312) 742-8497.

For a complete schedule about Museum of Modern Ice activities, call (312) 744-2400 or visit http://www.millenniumpark.org