Handi-hour Pop-up at Farragut Field Days
One-Time Events
Enjoy midday arts and crafts with a Handi-hour pop-up at Farragut Field Days, sponsored by the Golden Triangle BID. Grab a coworker and decorate a custom State Fair inspired coffee mug or coaster for your desk. When you have finished your craft, take a short walk down 17th Street to visit the exhibition State Fairs: Growing American Craft at the Renwick Gallery. For more information about Farragut Field Days, visit the Golden Triangle BID events and programs page.
Image credit: Ronna Thorson, Tine, 2023 , oil on wood , Courtesy of Ronna Thorson.
Event Location: Farragut Square, 17th and K Streets NW. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit goldentriangledc.com. SAAM After Hours: State Fairs at the Renwick
One-Time Events
Step right up! Gather round! Experience the great tradition of state fairs at an after-hours party to celebrate the opening of the newest exhibition at SAAM’s Renwick Gallery, State Fairs: Growing American Craft. The ticket price includes after-hours access to the exhibition, savory and sweet treats, open bar, entertainment, and a live performance from jazz ensemble, Ranky Tanky.
Explore two floors of ribbon-winning artworks and engaging craft — from art exhibits and heritage villages to the parades, dairy barns, and rodeo — with more than 240 works by artists from nearly all 50 states. Discover show-stopping spectacles like the iconic size 96 boots of Big Tex® from the State Fair of Texas® a life-size hand-carved butter cow, and a display featuring a pyramid of 700 glass jars of preserved fruits and vegetables, then party surrounded by the shimmering gold-fringed walls and 30-foot piñata corn stalks of artist Justin Favela’s Capilla de Maíz.
“State Fair chic” encouraged. Think bedazzled gingham,…
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Check in at lobby. Cost: $125 | Registration required
Tickets available beginning September 2. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Thursday, September 18, 2025, 7:30 PM – 11:00 PM.
State Fairs: Growing American Craft Open House
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Celebrate the groundbreaking new exhibition State Fairs: Growing American Craft at an open house featuring craft artists from across the country. Learn about bowl hewing from Keith Ruble of Indiana, straw and tin applique from Martha Ewing of New Mexico, and custom sweater knitting from Samuel Barsky of Maryland. Exhibition curator, Mary Savig, the Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge for the Renwick Gallery, will be available to chat about her favorite state fairs and the ideas that inspired the exhibition. Explore the exhibition further with a scavenger hunt for all ages.
Image credit: Linda Nez, Carnival, 1992, commercial yarn, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery. Cost: SOLD OUT. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Friday, September 19, 2025, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Handi-hour
One-Time Events
Celebrate autumn at DC’s original crafting happy hour! Create miniature polymer clay pies and explore the exhibition, State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Enjoy live music by local folk duo, Beyond the Wall, and cider and beer provided by ANXO. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to both floors of the exhibition galleries are included in the ticket price.
Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID with birthdate at the door. Tickets are $25 and available beginning October 2.
Image credit: Norwood Photography.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery. Cost: $25 | Registration required
Tickets available beginning October 2. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zUdJ. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Thursday, October 16, 2025, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
State Fairs Conversation and Close Looking with Poetry Camera
One-Time Events
Join us for an evening of close looking and conversation in the exhibition, State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Using Poetry Camera, an innovative new camera that generates poems rather than photographs, attendees will “see” artworks through verse. Participants will be encouraged to slow down to notice line, texture, and color in selected artworks, then join in conversation, moderated by SAAM staff, about the poems and the extraordinary and unconventional crafts on view. Space is limited.
Image credit: Margarita Cabrera, Arbol de la Vida – John Deere Tractor Model #790, 2007, clay, slip paint, latex acrylic and metal hardware, Courtesy of Margarita Cabrera.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery. Cost: Free | Registration required
Tickets available beginning October 6. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR1zUqD. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 5:00 PM.