BEREA, Ky. – Artist will demonstratate how to make wax ornaments this weekend.
On Saturday, Christa Smith of Elizabethtown will demonstrate traditional Bavarian molded wax ornaments from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.
Christa Smith was born in Germany and moved to America over 35 years ago. Once in this country, she became fascinated with the cultural contributions German immigrants had made to this country.
Smith began researching traditional German crafted items that she knew about and eventually began creating her own beeswax ornaments, painting them for extra effect and using cookie molds and old gingerbread molds she had collected.
The art of molding and carving beeswax into holiday ornaments is an old German tradition that was practiced for many generations dating back to the 16th century.
Before glass ornaments were popular, the Lebuchen bakers created the first beeswax ornaments by using their gingerbread molds. They used honey for baking and the leftover wax from the honeycombs was used to make these unique Christmas decorations. Many German museums exhibit wax ornaments which are well over 300 years old.
German immigrants to the United States brought this tradition to Eastern Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. Colonial women gathered honey from the wild beehives in the surrounding woods which they used for cooking, turning the leftover beeswax into ornaments.
Works by Christa Smith are regularly available at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, located at 975 Walnut Meadow Road, just off Interstate 75 at exit 77 (Berea). The Center’s exhibits, shopping, and travel information areas are all open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the café from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission is free. The Center currently features works by more than 650 artisans from 100 counties across the Commonwealth.
For more information call (859) 985-5448 or visit the Center’s Web site at http://www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov/.
