On April 29th, 2023, the installation part of Acorn Treasure Hunt was on display in the WeHo Park to promote the upcoming hunt. Due to changes in the park policy, I had to change out the original intent to hang the acorns on the Ficus tree for a week, and worked with an artist, Shane Izykowski, who built me a cardboard tree for the display. We also shifted the display time to just 1 day, while passing out as many of the postcards with the hunt details on it.
This project was made possible by the Art on the Outside Grant from the City of West Hollywood (WeHo). It was a citywide treasure hunt featuring 60 hand-crafted paper mâché clay “acorns”, made from up-cycled paper, then individually painted, signed and numbered.
The acorns were hidden throughout the city after the exhibition on April 29th, and available for the public to discover (and take home) with the aid of a publicly shared google map with pinned locations, each with hints on its hiding spot. The hunt began on May 6th and I kept the map updated as each acorn is claimed, if the claimer contacted me through social media to let me know of their finds. All but one of the acorns were “claimed” by end of June when I return to do a survey of all the hiding spots.
I found this engagement with the public through play a very memorable activity for art and outreach. I’m very thankful to the WeHo for liking my idea and taking a chance on my proposal, trusting me to create this project. I gained a lot of insight as well for future endeavors.
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