(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Fair butter cow will be displayed in Washington, D-C next year. Sarah Pratt has been sculpting the iconic cow in the cooler at the Iowa State Fair since 2006 and will do the same in the nation’s capital along with her two daughters. “I am just still pinching myself that I have the opportunity to be sculpting for the Smithsonian and representing Iowa and butter sculpting, and then I get to do it alongside my family.” Pratt’s daughters have been helping her with the cow and other sculptures for several years.

The sculpture will be displayed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum as part of a yearlong exhibit celebrating the art of state fairs around the country. “I was already excited and bowled away by the fact that they would be interested in the craft, the art that I do, but also in literally displaying a piece,” Pratt says. The first Iowa State Fair Butter Cow was sculpted in 1911 and Pratt is the fifth person to handle the duties.

The Smithsonian exhibit will be open for one year starting in August after the 2025 Iowa State Fair ends.