With summer in full swing, Public Art Reston has a new activity for families looking to take in both the outdoors and some culture.
The nonprofit launched its first Public Art Scavenger Hunt last week, offering prizes to anyone who visits and shares photos with the many artworks installed throughout the community.
Scavenger hunt cards can be downloaded from Public Art Reston’s website or picked up at the children’s books section of Reston Regional Library, Reston Museum, Reston Art Gallery and Reston Community Center at both Hunters Woods and Lake Anne.
The cards feature lists of various art installations with QR codes that will show their locations when scanned. A public art locator tool developed by ArtsFairfax can also be found on the Public Art Reston website.
Participants must take a selfie with each of the artworks on their card and share the photos on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #PublicArtReston. When all boxes on the card are checked off, they can then email a photo of the completed card with a mention of their social media screen name to admin@publicartreston.org in order to win a prize.
All participants who complete the hunt will get a “small prize,” but five particularly lucky winners will receive a $500 Visa or MasterCard gift card, according to Public Art Reston.
The deadline for submitting a scavenger hunt entry is Aug. 17, and the gift card winners will be announced on Aug. 20.
Public Art Reston conceived of the scavenger hunt as a new way to promote awareness of the dozens of artworks that it has commissioned since its founding in 2007, Board Chair Maggie Parker says.
“We thought summer was the perfect time to encourage friends and family to explore the Reston community and learn about the art that is all around them,” Parker said in a statement to FFXnow. “This is the inaugural event, but [we] hope it becomes a summer tradition.”
Guided by a Reston Public Art Master Plan adopted in 2008, the nonprofit’s collection includes everything from a piece of the Berlin Wall and Reston Association’s 9/11 Memorial to the fountains at Reston Town Center and Lake Anne Plaza. It also encompasses temporary exhibits, such as the works regularly installed on Lake Thoreau by South Lakes High School students.
The STEAM Club’s latest installation went on display last week. Named “Cell-estial,” the sculpture ties together circular discs with designs contributed by local elementary and middle school students as well as community members to illustrate how cells work together even when they divide, the students said in a video shared by Reston Association.
This story was corrected after initially identifying the public art locator as a Public Art Reston tool. While it can be found on Public Art Reston’s website, it was created by ArtsFairfax.
