Nutcracker art unveiled at June 10 event at History Center

Luverne’s 3,000-piece nutcracker collection is the third largest in the world (after Germany and Leavenworth, Washington) and visitors increasingly stop off I-90 and venture into town to see it.
City leaders are looking to capitalize on this traffic and invited local artists to create 10- to 18-inch nutcrackers to be exhibited at the History Center where the nutcracker collection is housed.
These works of art are now finished, and a public unveiling is planned for Monday, June 10.
Destination Branding Committee of Luverne Initiatives for Tomorrow (LIFT) will host an open house art reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, June 10, at the History Center on East Main Street to showcase the pieces.
The 10 artists who created the nutcrackers are Janine Brands, Lori Hallstrom, Cody Henrichs, Jen Huisman, Cora Mumme Miller, Chris Nowatzki, Mary Petersen, Kristen Peterson, Kim Schmidt and Lois Young.
“There are some very talented people in our community,” said Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere. “We did this project to see if not-your-typical nutcracker could be seen as art.”
In particular, planners are gauging local feedback to the pieces that may be displayed on a few street corners to promote Luverne’s tourism draw.
“Experts say this is our unique brand,” Lanphere said. “We’ll see how people respond to them. Would you stop and take your picture with an 8-foot nutcracker?
The project is supported by a grant of the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council and coordinated by LIFT in partnership with the Rock County Historical Society.