Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Johnson and Kristopher Duschen.
Dana and Kristopher, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Johnson Studios Ice Sculptures was established in 2013. Nate Johnson and Kristopher Duschen have known each other personally for 15 years and have professionally worked together for the last 4. After seeing Nate’s talent and wishing to pursue a second business venture (Kristopher also owns a tile and shower business), he decided to invest in Nate’s dream of opening his very own ice sculpting studio. Nate has been sculpting ice for 25 years, working with various companies all over the United States. He couldn’t wait to have his own space to create sculptures the way he wanted. The two partnered up, with Nate managing the studio, staff and creating all of the sculptures that were ordered, while Kristopher maintained marketing, sales, and accounting. This went on for 3 years until the studio was so busy that they needed some extra hands, aside from the part-time delivery drivers, sculpting interns and studio helpers we hired. I decided to leave my job at the Art Institute, after being there 10 years, to work with Nate and Kristopher as the new Marketing and Sales Manager. Once I made the decision to move to Johnson Studios, I knew it was the right thing for me. It was scary to end my 10 years run with the Art Institute, but worth it! I absolutely love talking to people, meeting the folks who make everything run smoothly behind the scenes, getting to be in the same room as world-famous chefs, and the biggest part of that fun is working with them to come up with design ideas that meet their needs.
That’s what makes Johnson Studios so special. Since Nate and his team make nearly every single sculpture by hand using a chainsaw, chisels, grinders, sanders and a blowtorch, they can create just about whatever you can dream up. Most ice sculpture studios offer a “menu” to choose from…swans, reindeer, hearts….but at Johnson Studios, we make sure to ask exactly what your vision is and will make/draw several idea renderings and sketches after the date are booked. Our clients can look at these sketches and see things like the dimensions of the sculpture, where the luge will go, how the design looks on paper and if it will fit into the theme of their event. If the sketch doesn’t look like what was imagined, we start over. This method is something that we are all very proud of. Chefs, event planners, and even retail customers understand how rare that is. We don’t use molds at all. We do have a state of the art CNC machine that will cut company logos out of the ice using a computer program. The computer is hooked up to the CNC machine in our freezer and the logos come out crisp and gorgeous. Otherwise, all of our sculptures are handmade, unique and one-of-a-kind!
Has it been a smooth road?
Yes, there were indeed challenges. The first was finding a professional office/studio that could accommodate large cold storage and lots of water. After exhaustively looking at countless places, we found a perfect 3500 sq. ft. warehouse space on the Southwest Side of the city, right off of the Central Ave. exit on I55. Another initial headache was getting the freezers built. Nate and Kristopher designed and fabricated the giant walk-in freezers themselves, along with our ice block machines. The block machines are constructed so that when the water is freezing, no bubbles or white fog get caught inside, making sure the ice completely clear. The bubbles and fog are prevented by consistently moving the water while it freezes up from the bottom of the machine, much like a glacier are naturally created.
Getting the temperature in the freezers perfect and keeping them that way took a lot of patience, dedication, and research. However, because of that, Nate and Kristopher know both the freezers and block machines front to back and are able to maintain them now with very few issues.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Johnson Studios Ice Sculptures, Inc – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Our business is exclusively ice sculptures. We specialize in parties and events of all kinds, like weddings, birthdays, showers, grand openings, graduations, holiday celebrations and more. Those sculptures can be as small as a half block number “50” for a 50th birthday party or as big as a full bar made completely of ice with an ice curtain (large ice “cubes” suspended in the wire) behind it and several sculptures on the side with luges for the bartender to use. One of our most popular holiday orders includes a live ice sculpture demonstration during a Winter festival or parade in various cities and towns in the Chicagoland area. The demo involves Nate or one of our apprentice ice sculptors carving the ice block(s) right there in front of a crowd. People really appreciate the talent and work that goes into creating the sculptures when they see one done in person and we get a lot of questions. We do demo all year long, but Winter is obviously the busiest season, as the pieces will always last longer. We also work with production companies on commercials, TV, and movies quite often, which is so much fun. We’ve done quite a few commercials this year and just started negotiating with a team making a music video.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Chicago has been my home since I was born and there is no other place like it in the world. The people are warm but strong, the neighborhoods all have a unique feel that allows for some of the most interesting interactions I’ve ever had, not to mention the most amazing food I’ve ever tasted. There are times I get nostalgic for the old Dunkin Donuts on Clark and Belmont or the way Logan Square and Pilsen used to be so diverse and easygoing. It’s sometimes sad to see the neighborhoods I’ve lived in change so much, especially if the changes include condos and giant Targets. The cold can be a pain, but only certain years. However, I love the feel of our city, I love the people and you cannot beat the art and culture here. There is so much to do!
Pricing:
- One block ice sculpture (20″x40″x10″) with any 3D design is $495 + tax, with additional ice blocks (for larger sculptures) running $300 each – logos and color in the ice incur an extra charge.
- Live demonstrations start at $1200
Contact Info:
- Address: Johnson Studios Ice Sculptures, Chicago
4751 S. Central Ave. Chicago IL 60638 - Website: www.natesice.com
- Phone: 773.936.5686
- Email: dana@natesice.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natesice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnsonStudios/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/johnson-studios-ice-sculptures-chicago
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA3VqbsTRKk
Image Credit:
Timothy Hiatt, Erik Johnson, Jerry Nelson
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
