Linda Christensen
![Linda Christensen looks at an uncarved block of butter which she will sculpt in a refrigerated glass studio in the Dairy Building at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/UncarvedBlockButter.jpg)
Christensen carves these sculptures out of Grade A salted butter provided by AMPI ([http://www.ampi.com/ Associated Milk Producers Inc].), in New Ulm, Minnesota. In 2011, she celebrated 40 years working with Midwest Dairy Association as a butter sculptor. Estimations show that she has carved more than 450 sculptures and 32,000 pounds of butter. Since she has started, the butter sculptures have gone from an oddity to something identified with Minnesota. Butter sculpting at the State Fair was originally initiated to highlight Minnesota's claim as the "butter capital of the nation." In addition to Princess Kay and the finalists, Christensen has sculpted the likenesses of celebrities from David Letterman to former Minnesota First Lady Mary Pawlenty. She even sculpted Conan O'Brien out of white chocolate and used bacon for the hair. One of her commissions was to carve Sesame Street character Big Bird out of a 300-pound block of butter. National Geographic has twice featured her work, and she has turned down requests from Oprah Winfrey and Johnny Carson, who wanted her to rush her carvings in one hour. Provided by Wikipedia
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