- April 29, 2024
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The following is adapted from an Observer exclusive, from Advent USA:
The largest exhibition of original crèche art in the Southeast U.S. can be seen through Jan. 7 in the display windows of Palm Coast resident Bill Austin’s building, at 166 S. Beach St., in Daytona Beach.
This is the second year Austin, of Palm Coast has arranged to display exhibits of European-style Nativities in the windows of his building.
The exhibition last year attracted scores of visitors who had never seen this Christmas art form, popular in Europe and South America, but barely known in the United States.
Crèche artist Bill Egan, of Flagler Beach, coordinated the exhibition. He has 14 Nativities in the display windows, ranging from a small crèche with three figures to elaborate scenes of Bethlehem with hundreds of figures. One manger scene won a first prize in a national art competition in April.
“I figured it would be the only crèche art in the contest,” said Egan. “That could count against me. On the other hand, it could stand out since nobody else would be entering this type of art. It was a thrill to get this recognition.”
A number of the scenes are backed by Nativity banners provided by Mimi Hoffine of Palm Coast.
Egan studied crèche art in Austria a dozen years ago but has updated his Christmas-themed scenes with 21st century materials and tools, using high-density builder’s foam instead of wood. A member of presepio and belen groups in Italy and Spain, Egan has had work exhibited at the Cathedral in St. Augustine, St. Paul’s Basilica and Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Daytona Beach, The Halifax Historical Museum, The Art League of Daytona Beach and The Flagler County Art League.
One window features three manger scenes created by Broadway set designer Peter Wolf (1918-2005). They’re from the collection of Palm Coast crèche artist Larry Leftwich. Wolf designed the sets for shows such as “Annie,” “West Side Story,” “The King & I,” “Mame,” “Guys and Dolls” and “The Music Man,” as well as the annual Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. When he retired from Broadway, he moved on to miniature settings depicting the Nativity. Leftwich has been collecting Wolf’s Nativities for several years. Every December, he stages an elaborate manger scene in his Palm Coast home and won first place in an international competition for his 2010 display.
The vintage Wolf manger scenes were restored by Egan and the setting for the three Wolf Nativities in the Dunn building was created by Green.
The figures in the manger scenes, a separate art form, are imported from Italy.
