Sculpting went on from late March 4th through March 7th (a few hours of March 8th were also required). You can read the project proposal here.

Here’s a quick synopsis of the project:

To celebrate the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl victory and what it means to the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region in its slow recovery from Hurricane Katrina, Dawson List is creating a larger than life ice sculpture of Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback and Super Bowl MVP, with the words "Who Dat" and a fleur-de-lis down below. "Who Dat" is the beginning of a longer saying: "Who Dat say de gonna beat dem Saints," and has become sort of a greeting amongst the "Who Dat Nation" (Saints fans). Part of the project includes a significant donation to the Brees Dream Foundation, which focuses on children in need and cancer causes as well as many Katrina-related projects. Drew Brees and the Saints have become very special to the citizens of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and this is a way to say thanks for what they have done to revitalize the spirit of some people who really needed it!

The project has generated $2000 for charity. See the cashier’s check below; it was delivered on Tuesday, March 2nd, thanks to the generous support of the project’s sponsors!

Quick facts:

According to Google driving directions, Fairbanks is 4308 miles from New Orleans (when you fly, it usually takes less time to get to Europe from New Orleans).

The blocks used to carve Drew are either 4’x6’x3’ or 5’x8’x3’ and are “natural” ice. Heavy machinery is required to move them. The 4x6 blocks are about 4100 lbs. each. Drew required about 9000 lbs of ice to cut.

It worked out that “Cool Brees” is about 9 feet tall. He also required about 90 hours to carve. Neither of these were part of the original plan.