The Largest PEEPS Art Exhibition at RAM to Date

Racine, WI  April 8, 2019. On Thursday, April 11, an untraditional exhibition showcasing fluffy, sugarcoated marshmallow PEEPS® will begin its tenth year within the award-winning contemporary architecture of the Racine Art Museum. Open through April 28, the RAM 10th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition features 165 entries that demonstrate the talent of over 237 artists from across the country, a number that makes it the largest PEEPS show ever at the museum.
During the last decade, a combination of enthusiastic families, professional artists, classrooms in local schools, and others have made a total of over 1,000 colorful artworks honoring the sweet holiday candy. PEEPS art has proved extremely popular at RAM. Since 2010, over 30,000 visitors have giggled over pun-inspired titles and marveled at unexpected ways to use the iconic chicks and bunnies in dioramas, sculptures, paintings, and other innovative works.

Inspired by pop culture, animals, sports, and famous artists, over half of the PEEPS art entries are by local artists, families, and organizations; however, several arrive every spring from out-of-state. Over the past ten years, PEEPS pieces have been sent into RAM from as far away as Tucson, Arizona; San Francisco, California; Pisgah Forest, North Carolina; and New York City.

This spring, guests to the exhibition will again discover pieces made with a variety of media. While the seasonal candies are still the most common material, the 10th anniversary show also includes pieces like The Hope Peep, a PEEPS necklace fashioned in rhinestones and glitter to rival the most recognizable of the British Crown Jewels; Confession of a Carrot Eater crafted in glazed stoneware as a counterpoint to artist Jack Earl’s Carrot Finger, a piece in the museum’s collection; and Greeting from Mount Peepmore!, a celebratory monument to PEEPS expertly sculpted in Styrofoam.

Over the years, many entrants have been become experts in marshmallow candy as a material, using methods like carving, painting, hole punching, gluing, and melting to manipulate PEEPS into incredible shapes. For this show, Richard W. Marklin, Jr. melted a flock of PEEPS to make Raul the Rooster, a realistic barnyard bird; while April Harris and Autumn Kyle assembled the holiday treats into a bust of Black Panther Peeper.

Since 2016, RAM has partnered with local business Sew ‘n Save of Racine to encourage quilters to participate in the PEEPS Art Exhibition. With 36 quilt squares measuring in this year’s show, this fiber art adds yet another dimension to the competition, and attracts more work from out of state. A number of the PEEPS-themed squares entered in 2018 were donated to RAM and recently assembled by local quilter Holly Ottum into a commemorative quilt, now on display and available for sale at the museum to support exhibition and education programming.

On Wednesday, April 10, 5:30 to 7:30 pm, during the Artist Preview and Awards Ceremony, prizes donated by local businesses and other RAM supporters will be awarded for clever and skilled use or representation of PEEPS in adult, children’s, and group categories. Additional Artist Preview tickets may be purchased for $7 each on the night of the event. RAM Members receive free admission.

In addition, visitors throughout the run of the show will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite creation, naming one popular artwork worthy of the coveted PEEPles Choice Award. Over the last decade, this vote has been taken very seriously. With guests allowed only one per visit, they circle the PEEPS works of art, taking notes about the exhibition, and then often lobbying for their eventual favorite. The award will be announced after the close of the exhibition.

The RAM 10th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition is made possible in part by RAM Platinum Sponsors: Friends of Fiber Art International and Windgate Foundation; and organized by the RAM Museum Store and Guest Relations.

Together, the two campuses of the Racine Art Museum, RAM in downtown Racine at 441 Main Street and the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts at 2519 Northwestern Avenue, seek to elevate the stature of contemporary crafts to that of fine art by exhibiting significant works in craft media with painting, sculpture, and photography, while providing outstanding educational art programming.

Docent-led contemporary craft and architectural tours of the museums are available. Both campuses of the Racine Art Museum, are open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and are closed Mondays, Federal holidays and Easter. RAM is open Sunday Noon – 5:00 pm, while Wustum is closed Sundays. An admission fee of $7 for adults, with reduced fees for students and seniors, applies at RAM. Admission to Wustum is free. Members are always admitted without charge to either campus.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.