More than 120 pieces of mouthwatering original artwork made by local artists will be on display at TownMall of Westminster in the 18th annual PEEPshow, beginning next month.

“It really brings a lot of different folks together to create these creative projects,” Carroll County Arts Council Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator Gwen Asbury said.

This year’s PEEPshow will include all of the creative confectionary art visitors have loved about the show, with the most significant difference being a later start date. The PEEPshow follows Easter, Asbury said.

This year also marks the first PEEPshow under the leadership of the arts council’s new executive director, Stephen Strosnider.

“Things haven’t greatly changed for PEEPshow,” Asbury said. “Stephen was assistant director for the past two PEEPshows, and I’ve been the primary event coordinator, with the rest of the staff, for the past years. This will be my fourth PEEPshow, so it hasn’t been much of a transition.”

The PEEPshow is the arts council’s biggest fundraiser. Last year’s event raised over $80,000, and the 2023 show raised over $100,000, Asbury said. Entries can be dioramas, sculptures, mosaics, photography, paintings, videos, or computer-generated art that features PEEPS. Art may be PEEP-themed, made with PEEPS, or both.

Last year’s PEEPshow featured 141 original pieces of PEEP-inspired art, including a larger-than-life Orioles mascot sculpture, which captivated attendees with its grandiose nature and striking use of color.

The event is sponsored by several local entities, as well as the company that makes PEEPs, Just Born Inc. The space, once occupied by Sears, is donated by TownMall of Westminster. Asbury said the arts council hopes to partner again with Community Media Center to screen video entries in the space; no videos have been submitted to PEEPshow yet.

The entry with the most votes will be named the grand prize winner, and the top 10 entries will receive Audience Favorite Awards. A separate award will be given to the video entry with the most votes. Artistic Excellence Awards will be chosen by arts council staff and sponsor’s choice awards will be selected by PEEPshow’s sponsor organizations.

Merchandise, including shirts with PEEP-themed classic art parodies and PEEP-on-a-stick treats, will be available for purchase at the event, though supplies may be limited.

The idea for the PEEPshow began when former Carroll County Arts Council Executive Director Sandy Oxx entered a Washington Post contest for PEEPs-based art. Oxx didn’t win the contest but was inspired to bring a PEEPs art event to Carroll County.

Registration for artwork is open until March 21. Only one entry per person is allowed. Entering a creation costs $10 and completed sculptures must be delivered to the TownMall of Westminster, 400 N. Center St., on March 28 or 29 between noon and 7 p.m. Oversized entries may be dropped off on March 26 from noon to 7 p.m.

Confectionary creations will be displayed at the TownMall from April 11-21, from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on other days. PEEPshow is free to attend, though visitors can pay for tokens, which can be used to cast votes for their favorite art pieces. Votes may also be cast online.

Video entries must be in MP4 format, uploaded to YouTube, and shared via email and Dropbox with Gwen@CarrollCountyArtsCouncil.org. In previous years, the few video entries submitted were shown on a continuous loop during PEEPshow hours, in an on-site movie theater space.

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