Traditional Wooden Shoe Carving Demonstration
September 12, 2026 at 10:00
BHC will host Luke Traver from Luke’s Lost Arts who will present the art of wooden shoemaking, explaining the process as he manually carves a pair of wooden shoes. Luke will demonstrate the carving techniques he learned as an apprentice to the late Master Shoe Carver Bob Siegel, Jr. (Sieg). He uses only three primitive hand made tools and a wood vice. His programs are enhanced with history discussions followed by a question and answer session with those in attendance.
Join us at BHC from 10:00-noon to see Luke in action, see the wooden shoe artifacts, and share any stories, pictures, or artifacts you may have about wooden shoemakers in our collective Belgian heritage.
In 2006, Luke began actively carving under Sieg’s watchful eye at area shows and festivals. In 2011 he finished a one-year apprenticeship program with Sieg that was supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Sieg retired from active carving in 2014 at the age of 89 leaving Luke to carry on the mission to preserve this lost art for generations.
For more about Luke’s Lost Arts visit his website at https://lukeslostarts.com/wooden-shoes/
Visit out main Events page for more upcoming events: https://belgianheritagecenter.org/events/
BHC will host Luke Traver from Luke’s Lost Arts who will present the art of wooden shoemaking, explaining the process as he manually carves a pair of wooden shoes. Luke will demonstrate the carving techniques he learned as an apprentice to the late Master Shoe Carver Bob Siegel, Jr. (Sieg). He uses only three primitive hand made tools and a wood vice. His programs are enhanced with history discussions followed by a question and answer session with those in attendance.
Join us at BHC from 10:00-noon to see Luke in action, see the wooden shoe artifacts, and share any stories, pictures, or artifacts you may have about wooden shoemakers in our collective Belgian heritage.
In 2006, Luke began actively carving under Sieg’s watchful eye at area shows and festivals. In 2011 he finished a one-year apprenticeship program with Sieg that was supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Sieg retired from active carving in 2014 at the age of 89 leaving Luke to carry on the mission to preserve this lost art for generations.
For more about Luke’s Lost Arts visit his website at https://lukeslostarts.com/wooden-shoes/
Visit out main Events page for more upcoming events: https://belgianheritagecenter.org/events/