Sarah Pratt & Family

For Sarah Pratt, the butter cooler at the Iowa State Fair has never been just a workplace. It has been a place where her passion grew, her daughters were raised and a family tradition has been passed from one generation to the next. 

Pratt, one of Iowa’s best-known sculptors as “the butter cow lady”, has spent decades turning 600 pounds of butter into recognizable figures inside the Iowa State Fair’s famous display. For 20 years, she has served as the fair’s official butter sculptor, following 15 years as an apprentice. 

But long before she became the person molding some of the state’s most recognizable sculptures, Pratt was a student at the University of Northern Iowa, graduating in 1999 with a degree in elementary education. 

Her connection to UNI runs throughout her family. Her husband, Andy Pratt, graduated from UNI in 1998, and their daughters, Grace and Hannah, have followed that path, graduating from UNI in spring 2026. 

The twin sisters have been part of their mother’s butter-sculpting for as long as they can remember. 

“My first memories of being in there, Mom would be working, and we would be in the corner of the cooler with this giant comforter,” said Grace. “She’d give us a laptop, and we would play a Barbie movie.”

Those childhood visits eventually became hands-on experiences. The twins began serving as apprentices at just 13 years old, learning the craft from their mother and becoming more involved in the process.

“Mom is obviously a huge part of it, and she’s been our mentor through the whole process,” said Hannah.

That mentorship has taken on an especially meaningful capacity as both daughters have developed artistic careers of their own. Grace graduated from UNI with a bachelor’s degree in studio art, with an emphasis in sculpture. Hannah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre design and production, with an emphasis in costume design. 

In 2025, the butter cow followed the trio beyond Iowa and to Washington, D.C., where a replica was featured at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

Through their bond in butter sculpting, Sarah and her daughters have developed other special traditions and keepsakes, including a vintage UNI sweatshirt Sarah frequently wore during her college years. Today, the sweatshirt has been passed down to Grace and Hannah, who often wear it while sculpting.

The clothing is more than just a piece of nostalgia. It represents a physical link between the different generations of the Pratt family — from Sarah’s time as a UNI student and apprentice to her daughters’ years at UNI and their own stories as artists.