North Carolina State Fair Poultry Portraits: Robert & Robbie Bailey

October 2-30, 2026
Artspace,
201 E. Davie St.
Raleigh, NC

What happens when a Raleigh kid moves to New York City to study photography?

Worlds collide. Mayberry meets Madison Avenue, and both are changed forever. Then comes another collision: Wolfpack Girl meets Buckeye Boy. Sparks fly, and once again, both are changed forever.  Robbie teaches Robert about vinegar-based BBQ, sweet tea, and the North Carolina State Fair.  In return, he introduces her to The Clash, Cleveland, and the Cuyahoga River. 

A brilliant creative partnership is born, and ideas begin to flow. “Let’s do portraits at the State Fair,” Robert proposes, and “Let’s get married!”  Robbie says yes to both.  With the intention of creating a cheeky “Best in Show” for chickens, the Baileys rig a flashy, full-scale portrait studio inside the Poultry Tent.  What they discover is so much more: tradition, dazzling showmanship, and humanity at its very best. The dedication of the people showing their prized poultry matches the Baileys’ dedication to the art of photography. 

 Telling their stories with reverence becomes paramount. The birds may win blue ribbons, but the people who care for them will win your heart. What you see here is honest portraiture of real people doing what they love, captured by two people doing what they love.

 About

 Robert and Robbie Bailey are photographers whose collaborative practice encompasses studio and environmental portraiture, commercial photography, and fine art. Their photographs have appeared in The New York Times and have been featured on The Today Show, The Discovery Channel, and NBC Nightly News.

Their fine art photography has been exhibited nationally, including at the Asia Society in New York, Sampson Arts Council and Artspace in North Carolina, and Elzay Gallery of Art at Ohio Northern University. Their work reflects a shared interest in portraiture, storytelling, and the distinctive character of the people and places they photograph.

Robbie Bailey is the Artistic Director of the Raleigh Film & Art Festival and serves as an art, legacy, and stewardship advisor to Dorothea Dix Park. She majored in speech communication at North Carolina State University followed by documentary studies at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan. Her commercial clients include Macallan Whiskey, Betsey Johnson, Hennessy, Ralph Lauren, and the New York Yankees.

 Robert Bailey is Head of Photography at Tarisio Fine Instruments & Bows, where he manages the company’s New York, Berlin, and London studios. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Ohio University and has taught as an adjunct professor at Ohio Northern University. He has also lectured at the Violin Society of America, School of Visual Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the International Center of Photography.

To see more portrait projects by Robert and Robbie, visit https://www.baileyphoto.com/