by Lisa Moody Breslin
Carroll County Arts Council 2017 PEEPshow April 7 – 19 • 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. • Free Admission • Buy Votes for your Favs! • Carroll Arts Center 91 West Main St., Westminster
Ten years ago, when the local arts council launched its annual PEEPshow, no one knew that the show would eventually draw more visitors than the Maryland Wine Festival and lure artistry so unique that one entry now anchors an exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.
Council members hoped, but no one knew. The exhibit, which features more than 150 sculptures, dioramas, graphic arts, oversized characters and mosaics, celebrates its 10th year when doors open on April 7.
It will be a grand time for looking back to some of the favorite memories and impressive facts that propelled the PEEPshow from the arts center and local hearts to the national news. Here are some of those memories and facts.
VISITORS:
- 2009 – 5,000
- 2013 – 15,000
- 2014 – 25,000
- 2015 – 27,000
- 2016 – 24,000
INCOME:
- 2008 – $3,844
- 2016 – $61,093
- TOTAL ALL YEARS $254,217
PEEPshow REVEALS
In 2015, Sydney Blacksten’s entry “Left Shark” from Katy Perry’s Superbowl halftime show went viral. It was featured on numerous websites, including Time, People, USA Today, ESPN2, and many more. See for yourself: Google “Left Shark” and “PEEPshow”
The American Visionary Arts Museum currently features Christian Twamley’s “Swpeepish Chef”.
Two sources of immense pride for the folks who pull the event together: “When the line wraps around the building on the first day we open. Seeing the excitement on the visitors’ faces is a huge reward for all the hard work that goes into putting it together. And when we hit 25,000 visitors – which is pretty much our limit with the amount of space we have to work with.”
Favorite memory from employees at the arts center: Susan Williamson and Claudia Rogers will always remember the awestruck expressions on the kids’ faces when they first saw Olaf from the movie “Frozen.” The children made a beeline for the snowman like they were going to give him a hug. The entry was the Grand Prize Winner in 2014 called “Some Peeple are Worth Peeping For” by Christian Twamley. It was difficult to get in the gallery door at times because so many people were using him for a photo opp.
Winnie the Peep
Winnie the Peep PEEP Artist: Katrina Dumont
Total: About 50 hours over a number of weeks.
Hours of laughs: Limitless. Just saying “Winnie-the-Peep” cracks me up still. Plus I smile when I walk by him in my house everyday.
Hours of frustration: A couple hours during failed honey experiments.
Cost to create: About $150 for all supplies (there are 1,168 peeps on him)
Favorite Memory: A text from my mom who had a middle of the night idea that I should try melting Bit-o-Honey candy to make the honey (which was what I ended up doing). Figuring out how to make Peep bumblebees was fun!
Biggest source of pride: Watching people’s reactions during the show, especially children – seeing people take photos of him or with him. Also, a lot of family and friends across the US saw him, both in person and on TV.
The Swpeepish Chef & Camilla the Chicken
The Swpeepish Chef & Camilla the Chicken
PEEP Artist: Christian Twamley
Totals: Handcrafted from over 4,000 marshmallow Peeps in over 200+ hours with countless laughs, hours of Swedish Chef accents and a few burned fingers. They are a labor of love and I’ve spent 100’s of dollars to acquire just the right Peeps for each piece.
Hours of frustration: The only frustration comes from getting him through my front door. Sad part comes from when they leave. I’m with them every day and night for 3 months, then they are off to a new life somewhere else.
Biggest source of pride: Hearing each persons version of the Chef’s accent, or just the smile they put on someones face.
Favorite Memory: When I was half finished and at the supermarket checking out with cases of Peeps. The cashier asked if I “had heard of the Peep contest?” And when I told her I was entering and making the Swedish Chef from the Muppet Show, she looked at me with a blank stare and had absolutely no idea of who or what I was talking about. Driving home, I thought for a minute, This might not end well. But I loved my idea, a new technique I was using was working better than I expected and it all seems to be coming together just right. They made me happy so I thought at the least it may make someone else happy.
