Upon my most recent visit to Art-O-Matic I found myself enchanted by a single exhibit… the Washington Post Peep Show. The 2nd annual contest happened back in March, but the exhibit is currently on display at Art-O-Matic . It is a spectacular celebration of wit, creativity, and craft. Not only was each little box a jubilant little experience, but the entire concept a fantastic exhibit. The fact that creativity sprang from all of these ordinary Post readers to create miniature snapshots in time using marshmallows… that was what really got me. No these weren’t kindergarten-grade dioramas, these were magnificent little masterpieces.

Here’s the background info:

The Washington Post’s Sunday Source Section held a competition, the rules were simple and included

1) Think of a scene, historic, current of in the future

2) Buy enough peeps to play the characters in the diorama

3) Make your diorama using a shoebox or a comparable box.

This was the second year that The Post held such a competition and they received over 800 entries. My favorites included “Peep Art” with a miniature marshmallow Andy Warhol- complete with ratty white wig, “Amy Winepeep” reciting “they tried to make me go to rehab and I said peep peep peep”, and “Peeps Atop a Skyscraper (c. 1932)” which mimicked a famous black and white photograph. Walking around the exhibit, every turn was a delightful surprise… I began by shrieking “Look, Elvis Peeplsey!“, then turned to discover one after another fantastic diorama.

After doing some online investigating I found that the Peeps Diorama Contest is not unique to Washington DC, and it’s actually sponsored by Peeps, the candy company. The online execution of this marketing campaign has a lot of room for improvement…I had a hard time Googling any clear details on Peeps involvement in the contest and did a lot of poking around before I could find it on their official brand site (usability nightmare). However the sheer number of entries is proof that great concepts can carry a campaign and engage based on the fact they are inviting and original.

To View all of my Pictures from Art-O-Matic check out my Flickr Set.
To See this years Winners Click Here.
To see last years winner, click here.

Other Peeping Cities:
Peeps up in Chicago
Where My Michigan Peeps at?
Peeps Denver Style

Art-O-Matic is by far my favorite local DC event. Now, an annual event, this gathering of creatives takes place in an uninhabited building that has been donated so that artists of all kinds can take it over for about a month. The experience is unique in the wide range of art forms and mediums represented, all juxtaposed right next to each other.

This years event has over 600 visual artists and 300 performers participating with two music stages, a theater space, dance space, a poetry room, a film room, and a classroom. If you decide to visit during the peek hours you can see anything from open mic to burlesque or even fire dancers (my favorite part so far).

When I first moved to the DC area from Richmond, a town that has a tight-knit alternative art scene, I was astonished at the lack of art community in the area. After going to Art-O-Matic for the first time last year I learned that it is not that there is a lack of an art community, but that there are many little ones spread all over the DC area. Art-O-Matic which is completely run by volunteers and donations, does a fantastic job pulling together the scene and throwing an engaging and eclectic party.

I went Friday for Opening night and tried to take it all in.With 10 floors of stuff to do and see you just can’t. I highly recommend checking Art-O-Matic out, and if you can… a few times because it is such an overwhelming experience.

Friday, May 9 – Sunday, June 15, 2008
http://www.artomatic.org/

Lucha Libre Posters
There is nothing that gets me more pumped about designing than some masked Mexican wrestlers running around in spandex. Just look at these poster designs, they are fantastic! If you are looking for intriguing visuals, fun uses of color, and some entertaining poster design just search “Lucha Libre Posters” on Flickr.

Urge the Boys
I love the jewelry being sold on this site as much as I love the logo. The mix of vintage and modern is what really gets me exited about these pieces of art. Too bad it has to be shipped all the way from Australia, but perhaps that is what supplies all the fantastic inspiration.

Book By Its Cover
An exquisit little blog that highlights interesting books and book illustration. I can just tab through here for hours, if not for ideas but for a little taste of nostalgia.

Cuban Poster Art
This blog highlights some very interesting examples of cuban poster art. I really enjoy the variation in styles and background on history.

Sweet Napa
Chocolate is an art. This blog really is delicious. I am not sure how long it will last in my feed reader, because it temps the crap out of me, but a great find none the less. I found this via KV’s post

What you see here folks, is the first time I have ever been severely delinquent on a “Choice Links” post. I apologize, I am sure you all just sit waiting by the feed reader for me to drop some delicious links on you (not), but I feel the need to apologize… you see I have developed a severe case of ridiculous blog guilt. In an effort to reinforce “blog guilt” ’s sheer ridiculousness I have made it a point to say “nice weather comes before the blog”… inspired by Chris Glass’s T-shirt pictured above. Now go on… get out of here… take a walk, ride your bike, or shred some on your longboard…. because you aren’t going to become a better designer rotting away in front of the internet on lovely days!