July 29 - September 12, 2015

This traveling exhibition was on loan from the Michigan State University Museum. America's agricultural fairs focused on educating farmers and their families and in doing so created a continuing annual American tradition. Reproductions of artworks, created between 1880 - 1920 to promote county and state fairs, illustrate the emergence of a unique educational fair in America where competition was the vehicle to inform and to inspire, strengthening a national industry--agriculture.
America's Fairs Educating Communities is possible through the loan of the unique private collection of The Fair Publishing House, Inc. (Norwalk, Ohio). These artworks provide a wonderful window into the past depicting not only our fairs, but livestock, fashion and exhibition architecture of the period.