A toast to butter art

Butter sculptures are common attractions at state fairs, especially in the Midwest, and with June being National Dairy Month, we’re celebrating the first superstar of butter sculpting: Caroline S. Brooks.

Butter as a sculpting medium can be traced back to “banquet art,” a tradition most associated with the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was a way of bringing entertainment to the table for special occasions and to impres guests. The earliest reference to the practice dates from 1536 and details the creations of Pope Pius V’s cook, including an elephant