HI!

Peptoc is a project by artists Jessica Martin and Asherah Weiss, and young people around the world..

Peptoc got started at West Side Elementary in the Spring of 2022. Martin and Weiss were inspired by the students' joy and resilience amidst the pandemic, wildfires, and the challenges of growing up, and created a two-part project to celebrate the transformative power of young people and creativity:

Part one includes a series of over 150 different inspirational posters made by every student at the school. Posters with tear-off tabs were hung in public space in the local town to inspire its inhabitants and give them a little joy in their day.

Part two is the hotline, recorded and produced by Jessica and the students at West Side Elementary in Healdsburg, California. Anyone with access to a phone can call to hear pre-recorded words of encouragement and life advice from the students, arranged by theme (press 1 if you are frustrated, 2 for life advice, 4 for laughter... ). There is an option for recorded pep talks in Spanish as well.

Today Peptoc is much more than a hotline and poster project-- it is a movement for joy. The project has since expanded to become a nonprofit that produces public projects with communities and people of all ages. In August of 2024, we published a book, You are Amazing Like A Rocket, featuring posters made from young people from 25 countries.

This project is inspired by artists working in the field of Social Practice, such as the work of Susan O'Malley and Future Farmers.

Link to the West Side Arts Program website (led by Jessica Martin):

https://westsideartprogram.wixsite.com/mysite