Iowa

Becca Kacanda - Artist - Dubuque, Iowa Iowa's ornaments were created by artist Becca Kacanda to honor the prevalence of folk art grottoes in Iowa and the midwest. Grotto-making is a tradition of German Catholic origin that was brought to the midwest by Father Paul Dobberstein on a grand scale with his Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa. It is "considered to be the world's most complete man-made collection of minerals, fossils, shells and petrifications in one place" and it was made to honor the Virgin Mary. His grotto inspired the Dickeyville grotto located just a few miles over the Iowa border in Wisconsin. Other notable grottoes include Madeline Buol's grotto sculptures made in Dubuque, and Catherine Bastian's "ham can shrines". Imagery from all of these grottoes were used in her collages along with additional colorful embellishments and found objects in each of ornaments.