Suzanne's Mom's Blog

Photo: Albert Ting/Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
This cow was made out of about 700 pounds of butter and was on display at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. for a year. It was created by Sarah Pratt, the official butter sculptor of the Iowa State Fair.

When we lived in Minneapolis, one of the must-see events of any year was the state fair. We loved checking out the crazy foods on offer. Deep-fried jelly beans, Anyone? Watermelon tacos? We loved the sculpture of Princess Kay of the Milky Way, created out of butter, the seed art, and the livestock exhibits.

For state fairs, you can’t beat Minnesota.

Ayana Archie has wrote at National Public Radio [NPR] about the origins of these partly playful, partly serious annual celebrations.

“There’s something for everyone at a state fair — petting zoos, live music, fried foods. For many states in the U.S., summer to fall is the season for the annual state fair. The country’s first state fair dates to the 19th century, when locals would showcase livestock, crafts and agriculture.

“State fairs of today share the same elements, but have evolved into something like pop-up theme parks. They remain a favorite American pastime, contributing $30 billion to the U.S. economy each year, said David Grindle, CEO of the International Association of Fairs & Expositions. …

“State fairs began as agricultural competitions, which the British brought with them as they colonized North America, said Nick Pirro, who the New York State Fair has deemed its unofficial resident historian. … They served as spaces where farmers could show off their livestock and inform the public. …

“Once the colonies began developing governments and counties, county fairs took off. … In 1841, the state fair was born. The first one was held in Syracuse, N.Y. There were plowing competitions and animal exhibits. …

“Now, fair contestants show off all kinds of things — flowers, outfits and cakes … but agriculture is still everywhere at fairs.

” ‘The driving force is agriculture,’ Pirro said.

“Crafts have an early presence at state fairs, too. But back then, displays and demonstrations were a matter of function. They were useful for determining things like the types of wool a sheep might produce, or showing off the latest manufacturing or blacksmith techniques, said Mary Savig, the curator-in-charge of the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, an arm of the American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. …

“In the 19th century, Victorian hair wreaths (made from human hair) were all the rage throughout the country, said Savig. She traveled to various state fairs to curate the Renwick exhibit. She said more recently, ‘diamond’ art has become popular, in which people make portraits, or recreate famous artworks out of crystals.

And as a tongue-in-cheek homage to fair food, some crafters have begun constructing quilts-on-a-stick at the Minnesota State Fair, for example.

“They’re mini quilts about the size of a sheet of printer paper that artists poke skewers through. ‘It’s a pretty small project and it’s very accessible to people, especially new quilters,’ Savig said.

“In Mississippi, the Choctaw Indian Princess is crowned each year at the Choctaw Indian Fair, in which the contestants often make their own garments with elaborate beading and embroidery work. In Minnesota, there are contests for rosemaling, a Norwegian folk art, which is characterized by intricate patterns of flowers and swirls. …

” ‘On artists, [fairs] have had historically, a really important impact, just as far as validating an artist’s skills, also giving them a platform to show their work and be recognized,’ Savig said.”

More at NPR, here. Official butter sculptor of a state fair? Don’t you love the kinds of jobs that exist in our nutty, fascinating world?