From the State Fair to the Smithsonian

Butter made from members’ cream in AMPI’s New Ulm, Minn., plant is making history in Washington, D.C. Some 800 pounds of it, sculpted into a life-size dairy cow, is the centerpiece of the new “State Fairs: Growing American Craft” exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. Officials believe it’s the first time a butter sculpture has been exhibited in a Smithsonian Institute museum.

The dairy-inspired sculpture by Sarah Pratt represents Iowa in the year-long art exhibit that celebrates state fairs around the country. The sculptor uses butter donated by AMPI to annually craft the iconic butter cow, an Iowa State Fair tradition that dates back 114 years. The buttery bovine is one of the fair’s biggest draws.

“I never dreamed that I’d have anything exhibited at a museum,” Pratt said in a Smithsonian magazine interview. “So, when the Smithsonian invited us to come and be part of their exhibit with our butter cow, it was jaw-dropping.”

The exhibit’s debut on Aug. 18 coincided with this year’s AMPI Fly-In on Capitol Hill. AMPI member Aaron Maassen, of Maurice, Iowa, was among the group of co-op board members and AMPI marketing team representatives who attended the unveiling.

“I was proud to see a product that came from animals we own and care for being included in this exhibit,” he said, referencing the museum plaque that recognizes AMPI members as the butter donor. “The butter cow represents a quality food that begins on our farms.” 

Pratt, who has sculpted the Iowa butter cow since 2006, traveled to the nation’s capital shortly after completing this year’s fair project. The museum installation was a family endeavor, with her husband and three children all pitching in. Daughters Hannah and Grace, both seniors at the University of Northern Iowa, are training to one day take over for their mother as the lead sculptors.

With plenty of AMPI butter on hand, the artistic trio’s butter sculpting took about a week to complete. The museum display features some extra special touches, such as a new technique to bring out detail in the cow’s tail.