Eggplant, Peach Sculptures Stir Up Controversy In Ellicott City

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Howard County boasts a vibrant arts community, but two particular pieces of public art have caused quite a stir.

An eggplant and a peach sit along Main Street. Local business owners find the produce to be fun and quirky. But some say the public art is "too distracting" and they need to be removed. Both sculptures are on display on loan from the Fund for Art in Ellicott City, according to an agenda for a September meeting of the Howard County Historic Preservation Commission.

Both sculptures were made by Bozman, Maryland, artist Jan Kirsh. But the eggplant and peach, however, have become synonymous with certain body parts in social media and texting.

Paula Dwyer, owner of Georgia Grace Cafe, said she loves the Georgia peach perched outside her eatery.

"It was this big, beautiful orange peach. And, at first, honestly, I was like, 'Wow, this is amazing. I've never seen anything like it,'" Dwyer told 11 News.

David Carney, owner of The Wine Bin, has embraced the eggplant known as the Aubergine that sits outside his business.

"I guess I don't quite understand the innuendo because I have one of those body parts and it doesn't look like that and it's not purple, so I'm not sure really how that came about. It's kind of weird. So, it's kind of comical that people think that," Carney told WJLA.

The Aubergine sculpture was approved by the Historic Preservation Commission to be located at 8267 Main Street (the Howard County Welcome Center) for 11 months as part of a Howard County Arts Council rotating art program, according to the September 2025 agenda for the commission. Previously, the commission approved the sculpture “carrots” to sit in front of the Howard County Welcome Center for 11 months as part of the rotating arts program, the agenda noted.

The Historic Preservation Commission recently discussed the art at the Sept. 4 meeting and determined that they're "detracting from the historic buildings." They've ordered business owners to take them down. However, minutes from the Sept. 4 meeting have not yet been published to the commission's website.

Those who support the art told 11 News they're willing to take the matter to court.

Don Reuwer, president of Waverly Real Estate Group, told Fox 45 that hundreds of signatures have already been collected in support of the sculptures.

“Unfortunately, the chairperson told me they weren’t interested in petitions, that the merchants are only temporary, so they don’t matter,” Reuwer said. “That was just the straw that broke the camel’s back for me.”

“History is really important,” nearby resident Ken McNaughton told WJLA. “It’s great artwork, but I guess it’s not historic enough for them.”