The First Lady’s Commemorative Easter Egg Was Designed By A Master Egg Artist From Nashville

With eggs from North Carolina and art from Nashville, the 2024 White House Easter Egg Roll—a time-honored tradition held annually on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C.—is truly a Southern affair.

Over 30,000 attendees are expected at this year’s event, held on Monday, April 1, for an Easter celebration going back to the days of Rutherford B. Hayes. Each year, America’s egg farmers donate more than 64,000 real eggs for a day of egg hunting, egg rolling, and egg-themed eating (think mini quiches, Easter egg cookies, and egg salad sandwiches!). More than half of these eggs (40,000, to be precise) come from Braswell Family Farms in North Carolina, who boiled and dyed thousands of eggs in orange, green, purple, pink, and blue to add some Easter color to the White House.

“From egg decorating to the egg roll and egg hunt, there are so many traditions that make this day memorable,” said Emily Metz, President and CEO of the American Egg Board. “Guests can visit our interactive Hen-to-Home exhibit to learn more about the egg’s journey from the farm to the plate or enjoy story time with a real egg farmer in the reading nook. This is a really special day families across D.C. and America’s egg farmers look forward to each year.”

A highlight of the egg-centric event is the presentation of the 47th Annual First Lady’s Commemorative Egg. This year, with a theme of “EGG-ucation” in honor of First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s long teaching career and dedication to education, the Commemorative Egg comes from Master Egg Artist Carolyn Bickel in Nashville, Tennessee.

In her display, Bickel hand-painted a large chicken egg with a portrait of a young girl dreaming of her potential under a blooming cherry blossom tree. A second egg reveals a vibrant blue sky, symbolizing “all that is achievable with a little imagination and the possibilities that come with the pursuit of knowledge,” the American Egg Board shared. The two larger eggs are surrounded by smaller “pullet” eggs from young hens and hand-painted with imagery that depicts the tools a high-quality education provides in reaching those goals. (Bickel was also the artist behind the First Lady’s 2023 Commemorative Egg and crafted a beautiful hinged jewel box that opened to reveal a smaller painted egg. Learn more about past eggs here.)

The tradition of a Commemorative Egg can be traced back to 1977 when the first egg, adorned with a hand-painted image of the White House, was gifted to First Daughter Amy Carter. Now, each year, the First Lady is honored with a Commemorative Egg that aligns with her work. According to the American Egg Board, these works of art are later exhibited at the Presidential Library. 

Talk about an egg-cellent show of Southern artistry!