Monday, October 11, 2010

Butter Off Dead

As I've said before, the State Fair of Texas is beloved by both man and X-Man alike. Various rides, attractions and carnivalesque tomfoolery abound but the main attraction is of the culinary variety as the Fair is well known as the Fried Food Capital of Texas.

Last year headlines were made and arteries were clogged with the announcement of the addition of Deep Fried Butter to the roster.
I'm no stranger to fried treats that border on the avant-garde but even I have my limits. Luckily, as with any high end entertainment destination, butter enthusiasts have less life-shortening alternatives when it comes to enjoying their favorite freshly churned fat.

Art, anyone?
Every year sculptress Sharon BuMann whips up a new life sized work of art using one of the tastier mediums, butter. This year's work invokes imagery of the yearly Texas/OU grudge match played at the Cotton Bowl which is located, you guessed it, at the State Fair (Fair Park to be exact).
Previous dairy dioramas include this Cadillac-riding cowboy from 2002.
The muse doesn't necessarily have to be home grown either. In 2008 when the Dallas Museum of Natural History hosted the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit, the butter sculpture had a decidedly Egyptian flavor.

Will this flavorful form spread a Renaissance across the art world? Will those that work in the medium of butter strive for the same legitimacy enjoyed by more "traditional" artists?

I certainly hope so. At the very least, maybe you'll think twice tomorrow morning when preparing your toast.

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