Image: Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C ; Liz Schreiber
The Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C., will mark the final weekend of ‘State Fairs: Growing American Craft’ with a free line-dance program on Friday, September 4, 2026. The evening will pair a short lesson with an hour of classic country line dances, staged among artist Justin Favela’s corn piñatas.
Presented in partnership with DC Rawhides, the program runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Renwick Gallery, located at Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street, NW. Walk-ins are welcome, although space is limited and admission will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The museum has also stated that American Sign Language interpretation will be available, with visitors asked to contact staff on arrival for further information.
The event serves as a closing program for both ‘State Fairs’ and Favela’s related installation ‘Capilla de Maiz’ (‘Maize Chapel’). The exhibition ‘State Fairs: Growing American Craft’ remains on view at the Renwick through September 7, 2026. Admission to the exhibition is free, and the gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, ‘State Fairs’ is described by the institution as the first exhibition dedicated to artists’ contributions to the long-standing U.S. tradition of state fairs. It brings together more than 240 works dating from the mid-19th century to the present, drawing on five years of research into craft practices associated with fairgrounds across the country.
The exhibition examines craft in settings ranging from art exhibits and heritage villages to parades, dairy barns and rodeos. Its selections include ribbon-winning works, craft demonstrations and objects connected to artists’ families, memories, honors and struggles. Artists and 4-H clubs from 43 states and tribal nations are represented, while a photo gallery includes all 50 states. The project is curated by Mary Savig, the Renwick Gallery’s Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge, with contributing curators Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, Elana Hain, Jon Kay and Sara Morris, and curatorial support from Elizabeth Routhier.
Favela’s ‘Capilla de Maiz’ is a new site-specific installation created for the exhibition’s opening at the Renwick. The museum’s description identifies it as a chapel made in relation to maize, while the event announcement specifically highlights the presence of Favela’s corn piñatas during the dances. Other works in ‘State Fairs’ include the size 96 boots of Big Tex from the State Fair of Texas, a life-size butter cow made by Iowa State Fair butter sculptor Sarah Pratt, and a pyramid containing more than 700 glass jars of preserved fruits and vegetables by Rod Zeitler. The line-dance program takes place September 4, three days before the exhibition closes on September 7.
