2020 ART PEEP SHOW

Our 2020 Art Peep Show started with a happy explosion of glitter, feathers, and pom pom art (thanks to the mother/daughter combo of Jess and Zoey) and ended with an crazy social-distancing adaptation to allow for safe art viewing in these days of COVID-19.

Modern Art’s Peep Show is a studio within a studio, taken over by a new artist each day during March 2020. Thirty-one local artists were assigned a day to contribute to an 8x8-foot diorama, and given freedom to use the space however they’d like: to display artwork, put on a performance, or work on their craft for the day. Unlike a traditional gallery/studio, the only way to view the artwork/performance was be through small peep holes in the Pine Street window of our studio. The nature of the unusual set-up invites curiosity and creates an interactive dynamic between the art and the "peeper". It allows passers-by to engage in a new piece of art everyday, delighting in the surprise of an art intervention.

A big thank you to all of the wonderful artists who were able to participate before things changed, to those who elected to postpone their installations to stay safe. We had established artists, young and old emerging artists, neighbors, families, performers, photographers, writers, poets, school district of Lancaster students, and even a chef who served up lunch and conversation inside the show. We are so appreciative of all the neighbors and friends who safely walked by, peeped, and supported the project through the month of March. And we are so grateful to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for a generous grant to help fund the Art Peep Show. Keep an eye out for a continuation of the show when we can all get back to living, communing, and appreciating the power of art, together.

Check out some of the installations below (Photos by Michelle Johnsen and Libby Modern).