Step aside bunnies and chicks, Peeps are taking over the art world at the “RAM,” the Racine Art Museum. Debbie Lazaga got a closer look at this sweet exhibition.
Attention all art lovers and sugar fiends! Buckle up because we’re about to dive headfirst into the world’s sweetest art exhibition. It’s The International PEEPS® Brand Art Exhibition at the Racine Art Museum.
“Obviously it is a very unusual thing for a museum to be doing. 15 years ago we were really trying to find ways to engage people a little bit better in that kind of dreary transitional period where we are where it’s not quite winter, it’s not quite spring.” explains Marketing and Communications specialist for the museum Tyler Potter. He says to his knowledge they’re the only museum that does this, and they even have a permanent collection of past winners.
“The person that started the exhibition, a former employee, was super inspired by just how colorful Peeps were and they really brought a vibrancy to everywhere that they were,” says Potter
So for 15 years, the Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin has been hosting this incredible competition, where artists transform these fluffy treats into jaw-dropping masterpieces. Of course there ARE some rules for the entries.
Potter says, “One of the major stipulations for content is it has to either represent a Peep or use Peeps as material. You see people submitting drawings and paintings where it’s not using the actual Peeps marshmallow candy but it’s representing that in some way or another. I do feel like the most popular entry year by year are people using Peeps in dioramas.”
And the topics of the pieces run the gambit.
He says, “You do see a lot of people responding to different current events and just pop culture in general. Obviously it’s election season so there’s a couple of vaguely political ones. We have, I think, four or five Taylor Swift Eras tour pieces. So people really do respond to what they’re seeing and they bring that into the exhibition and I find that really fascinating.”
These artists get really creative. They sculpt, they paint, they even glue the Peeps together to create mind-blowing installations.
Also, there’s no snacking while you’re walking through the exhibit. Most of them have a paint or shellac coating, so they’re really not edible. But some of the pieces are absolutely adorable and some, are breathtaking.
“This was the first place award winner for the adult division. I believe this one was shipped from Iowa. I know it was one of the seven or eight states represented in the show. But you see a lot of the fine details, like all the copper wire is molded into the peep shape,” explains Potter.
And the best part? Anyone can enter! From professional artists to families with glue guns, it’s a celebration of creativity and, of course, a whole lot of fun.
Potter says, “The fact that there’s such an iconic shape and obviously like, a controversial kind of candy in terms of you either hate them or you love them. I think that really stood out to people and it makes it kind of like an accessible thing in terms of just being able to use that as subject material or media.”
It’s the perfect excuse to unleash your inner child and get a little messy with some Peeps. Who knows, maybe your masterpiece will be on display next year!
The exhibit at the RAM wraps up Saturday April 13, but rest assured, with it’s popularity, it WILL be back next year.
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