Header photo: Jon Bolton; Jon Leach, "Nightpeeps – An Homage to Edward Hopper"
On Thursday, April 7, 2022, an untraditional exhibition showcasing colorful and cheerful marshmallow PEEPS® will begin its thirteenth spring inside the award-winning contemporary architecture of the Racine Art Museum (RAM). Open through April 23, 2022, the RAM 13th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition will feature work inspired by pop culture, animals, sports, and famous artists created by artists, families, and organizations from across the country.
Each year, the show's popularity draws thousands of visitors to RAM, setting daily attendance records and inspiring nationwide media attention along the way. Even in 2020, over 135 enthusiastic artists created pieces for the RAM 11th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition, which was postponed for months beyond its usual Easter holiday opening as a result of COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. The RAM 12th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition in 2021 saw a meaningful increase in submissions, with 170 artists from across the country entering the competition.
Racine Art Museum visitors perusing the RAM 10th Annual International PEEPS Art Exhibition in 2019.
Photo: Azure Mahara Photography
While many of the PEEPS® art entries are created by local artists, families, and organizations, several pieces arrive every year from out-of-state. Over the past 13 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.
Many repeat 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. While the seasonal candies are still the most common material, the PEEPS Art Exhibitions also include pieces made in a variety of other media. For the most part, anything goes, as long as the artworks represent PEEPS®, are family friendly, and adhere to the exhibition's maximum size limitations.
Photo: Jon Bolton; Careers Industries, "Kew Peeps"
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. This vote has been taken very seriously since the inception of the annual exhibition. With guests allowed only one per visit, they circle the works of PEEPS® art, taking notes about the exhibition, and then often lobbying for their eventual favorite. This award will be announced after the close of the exhibition.
Artists of all ages are invited participate in the 2022 competition by dropping off entries on days the museum is open, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m., or shipping to arrive at the Racine Art Museum between Wednesday, March 16 and Saturday, March 26, 2022. Further information and a downloadable entry form are available on the museum's website, ramart.org.
Photo: Jon Bolton; Fisher Morrill, "Peepilton"
This competition is sponsored by the Racine Art Museum Store and Guest Relations.
Exhibitions at Racine Art Museum are made possible by: Platinum Sponsors—Judith and David Flegel Fund, Nicholas and Nancy Kurten, Wingate Foundation; Diamond Sponsors—Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation, Ruffo Family Foundation; Gold Sponsors—Anonymous, David Charak, Tom and Irene Creecy, Herzfeld Foundation, Ron and Judith Isaacs, National Endowment for the Arts, Racine Community Foundation, Reliance Controls, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, W.T. Walker Group, Inc., Wisconsin Arts Board; Silver Sponsors—A.C. Buhler Family, Andis Foundation, Lucy G. Feller, Ben and Dawn Flegel, Johnson Financial Group, Bill Keland, Dorothy MacVicar, RDK Foundation, Inc., Real Racine, Twin Disc, Inc.; Bronze Sponsors—Anonymous, Baird, Susan Boland, Virginia Buhler, Educators Credit Union, Fredrick and Deborah Ganaway, Get Behind the Arts Studio Tour, William A. Guenther, Tom and Sharon Harty, Andrea and Tony Hauser, The Norbell Foundation, Bill and Mary Walker; Media Sponsors—88Nine Radio Milwaukee, Wisconsin Public Radio.
About the Racine Art Museum
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.
Both campuses of the Racine Art Museum are currently operating with limited hours, open Wednesday through Saturday from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Both museums encourage all visitors and staff who have not been fully vaccinated, and those who feel more comfortable wearing a mask, to continue doing so in public areas at RAM and RAM's Wustum Museum of Fine Arts. Masks are still required for some in-person art classes and workshops at Wustum.
