Minnesota butter sculptor brings skills to NCEA convention, enshrines pope in the dairy staple
Minnesota butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer created a bust of Pope Leo XIV live at the National Catholic Educational Association Convention in Minneapolis. The project was commissioned by the NCEA to be featured among the event's exhibitors from April 7-9, 2026. Kulzer, known for his work with Minnesota State Fair dairy princesses, successfully managed the logistics of keeping the butter cool for the live demonstration. Conference attendees expressed enthusiasm for the unique artistic display during the educational event.
2 days ago
Minnesota butter sculptor Gerry Kulzer created a live bust of Pope Leo XIV in a block of butter during the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) convention in Minneapolis, blending regional tradition with Catholic education and honoring both the new pontiff and local dairy farmers1.
Kulzer sculpted the Pope’s likeness on the first day of the NCEA convention, held April 7‑9 at the Minneapolis Convention Center1.
The National Catholic Educational Association specifically requested a butter bust of Pope Leo XIV and a separate block featuring its logo1.
Gerry Kulzer has been the butter‑sculpture artist for Minnesota State Fair dairy princesses since 2020, drawing large crowds to watch his live work1.
He is an art and industrial‑technology teacher with more than 30 years of experience, currently teaching grades 7‑12 at Eden Valley‑Watkins schools1.
Kulzer’s artistic roots trace back to ceramics studied at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and he has long been involved in public‑school art education1.
A former Catholic school teacher, Kulzer expressed personal enthusiasm for sharing his faith and art with Catholic educators at the convention1.
Sara Michaelson, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of St. Cloud, highlighted the novelty of a butter sculpture of the Pope at the event1.
Kulzer is a member of St. Philip Church in Litchfield, part of the Shepherd of Souls Faith Community in the Diocese of New Ulm1.
He noted that many of his public‑school students attend daily Mass at nearby Assumption Church, underscoring an open dialogue about faith in the classroom1.
The butter‑sculpture tradition at the state fair began with Princess Kay of the Milky Way, a dairy goodwill ambassador crowned each year since the 1960s1.
Kulzer apprenticed under longtime sculptor Linda Christensen and took over the princess commissions during the pandemic, eventually becoming the primary butter sculptor for the fair1.
Kulzer emphasized that his butter work aims to recognize the labor of Minnesota’s dairy farmers, whose products include butter, cheese, and ice cream1.
He grew up on a farm and sees his art as a tribute to the region’s agricultural community1.
Pope Leo XIV’s butter sculpture illustrates Catholic artistic devotion
A butter sculpture can be a striking example of how human creativity—when rightly ordered—can help people turn their minds toward God. Catholic teaching does not judge art by how “grand” it is, but by whether it functions as a sacred sign that disposes the faithful to the Mystery of Christ, rather than becoming mere spectacle or drifting into superstition.
Catholic doctrine treats sacred art as something more than decoration. In Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Council teaches that religious art is oriented toward “the infinite beauty of God,” and achieves its purpose when directed “more exclusively to the single aim of turning men's minds devoutly toward God.” That same line appears in the Catechism (CCC), stressing sacred art’s role in drawing people to God.
Likewise, when the Church speaks about sacred images, it is explicit about function: sacred images in churches and homes are meant to awaken and nourish faith, and specifically states, “Through the icon of Christ and his works of salvation, it is he whom we adore.” So even if an artwork is made in an unusual medium (like butter), the key Catholic question remains: does it point beyond itself to Christ and the salvation he brings?
The Church does not discourage popular piety; it clarifies and purifies it. The Catechism notes that “in addition to the liturgy, Christian life is nourished by various forms of popular piety,” rooted in cultures, and that the Church “fosters the forms of popular piety that express an evangelical instinct and a human wisdom.”
A key document for discerning religious art in popular contexts is the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. It says sacred images belong both to “sacred signs” and to “art,” and that they are often works of art infused with religious feeling. But it is direct about priority: their primary function is not aesthetic pleasure; it is to “dispose towards Mystery.” It also warns that sometimes the “artistic aspects… can assume a disproportionate importance,” so that the spiritual message is lost.
In other words, the Church can appreciate beauty and craft, yet still require that the work be spiritually intelligible and oriented toward God.
From a Catholic standpoint, art’s goodness is not restricted to stone, canvas, gold leaf, or permanent materials. Theologically, what matters is whether the artwork serves as a sign that leads to devotion.
In fact, Church teaching on culture highlights that people are often drawn by beauty toward “religious experience,” and that Christian art has historically offered “a way into religious experience.” This aligns with the Council’s view that sacred art is meant to turn minds toward God.
So, if Pope Leo XIV’s butter sculpture is presented (as such an act typically is) as:
then it fits the Church’s broader logic: beauty can be a vehicle for faith and prayer.
Even when a creative work is well-intended, Catholic teaching insists on boundaries.
The Directory warns strongly against art that:
It also notes the Church has prohibited images that are “contrary to the faith,” “indecorous,” or likely to mislead the faithful, and it condemns removing sacred images from sacred places as harmful to Christian piety. While those points address images more directly than sculpture made of perishable materials, the principle still applies: public religious art must serve the faith, not replace it with entertainment.
Additionally, Church scholarship (in the provided liturgical handbook excerpt) notes the need to avoid a devotional attitude that can lead to “divinization of the saints” or a “deviation of liturgical worship.” A butter sculpture would not automatically do this—but the boundary is real: it must remain subordinate to Christ-centered worship and to sound Catholic interpretation of saints and mysteries.
Because you provided only the headline (not the text/details of the news report), I cannot verify exact features such as what the sculpture depicted, how it was presented, or what statements accompanied it. Still, Catholic evaluation can be stated clearly using the criteria above.
A butter sculpture would most clearly exemplify Catholic artistic devotion if it:
If these conditions are met, the medium’s perishability becomes almost secondary. The event can become a “visible” act of reverence—echoing the Church’s long-standing conviction that faith can be made visible through art, so that people encounter beauty as a path to God.
Catholicism treats sacred art as a theological sign: its purpose is not simply to delight the eye, but to direct the heart and mind toward God and the Mystery of Christ. A butter sculpture—no less than marble or paint—can genuinely illustrate Catholic artistic devotion if it communicates faith and leads to prayer, while avoiding the risks of spectacle, spiritual dilution, or confusion about worship.