Avrom Farm Party 2026

Avrom Farm is the former home and studio of renowned artist Lester Schwartz (1912-2006).

From the 1950s until 2006, Lester lived and worked on the farm, creating paintings and sculptures that are collected by the Smithsonian, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Over 50 years, he populated the farm’s rolling hills with towering sculptures assembled from cars and scrap metal. Many of the works have been sold; some of them are still on the farm, including a large sculpture dedicated to Lester’s late wife, Gloria.

In the early 2000s, Lester’s grandson Hayden Holbert fell in love with the farm. On frequent trips from home in Chicago, Hayden cultivated his first seeds on the land, returning it to its original use. Hayden would later go on to study regenerative agriculture at Warren Wilson College and turn Avrom Farm into a pasture-based farm with pigs, chickens, and vegetables working together in a regenerative cycle.

Hayden has since closed the farm but still sells pasture-raised chicken at farmer’s markets and festivals around the country. Meanwhile, Avrom Farm Party cooks meals from scratch with ingredients from the farm’s neighbors.

Hayden and his longtime friend and bandmate Spencer Tweedy produce Avrom Farm Party alongside Avery Riel, Lily Moore, talented chefs from Chicago and dozens of volunteers.

Avrom Farm Party is a 100% non-profit festival.