Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
KACANDA, Becca
KACANDA, Becca. (New York, NY-- ). Starting in 1923 as part of the holiday season, every U. S. president presided at the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Washington, D. C. Part of the ceremony was a display of 56 Christmas trees representing each U. S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia. Each tree was decorated with ornaments created by artists living there.
Artists were chosen by how well their work represented their state's history. In 2016 the Iowa tree globes were the work of Becca Kacanda who had lived in Dubuque since 2010. Her work was chosen by the Iowa Arts Council which worked in cooperation with the National Park Service. She had previously been a grant recipient from the Council for her Rotto Grotto project. Rotto, Italian for "broken," was inspired by the locally made grottos found in the Dubuque area. Kacanda brought project to the 2016 DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival and led the community engagement project.
For the Christmas ornaments, the National Park Service sent each artist twelve large, clear plastic globes that ould be used in any manner. Kacanda inserted a collage photograph image she had taken throughout the past year. She digitally altered the pictures to add her own elements and make them more festive. She also added three-dimensional elements that reflected the "assemblage art nature" of the grottos. A spokesman for the National Park Service remarked on the connection the art had to the Midwest and Iowa and the use of materials that celebrated the unique history of folk art in the state.
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Source:
Frenzel, Anthony. "Dubuque Artist Creates 12 Ornaments for National Christmas Tree Lighting," Telegraph Herald, December 12, 2016, p. 1