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Your Ticket to the Best State Fair Crafts Virtual Author Talk with Smithsonian Curator Mary Savig – Wednesday, June 3 at 2:00pm

Brown embroidery background with author and Smithsonian Curator, Mary Savig, wearing a black dress with color blocks of brown and blue. She is smiling, with shoulder length dark hair. The book cover of State Fairs : Growing American Craft.

Join us for a fascinating discussion with Smithsonian Curator Mary Savig on the history and significance of craft at state fairs—from blue-ribbon quilts to sculpted butter cows, and so much more!

Have questions for the author? You can submit your questions when you register.

Click here to register for the Mary Savig discussion via our online author talk platform.

Click here to view the recorded author talk on-demand after June 3.

Check the catalog for State Fairs: Growing American Craft.

A Dolly Parton crop art portrait. Size-96 cowboy boots. A button quilt. State Fairs: Growing American Craft features more than 100 photos of extraordinary and unconventional crafts from state and tribal fairs, including needlework, basketry, jewelry, ceramics, crop art, butter sculpture, and saddles. The catalog highlights personal stories and regional and cultural traditions, creating a vibrant portrait of American life. Come one, come all! State Fairs has a little something for everyone.

Register now to hear about the fascinating (and often surprising) world of American state fair crafts!

About the Author: 

Mary Savig is The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. She holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park.

This entry was posted on May 11, 2026 in What's New. Bookmark the permalink.