Scavenger Hunt Seeks to Map Public Art in Somerville

With Somerville Open Studios happening the first weekend of May, two Somerville residents are embarking on an ambitious project: to map all public art in the city of Somerville.

They're not doing it alone. In fact, they could use your help.

Emily Bhargava and Luisa Beck, along with the Somerville Arts Council, are organizing a scavenger hunt that takes place during the month of May. Its aim is to create a map that catalogues the city's public art.

The idea started because "both of us wanted this map," said Bhargava.

Somerville is filled with murals, statues, monuments, mosaics, stained glass and other works of art, some of them in well-traveled locations, some of them tucked away.

They're asking people to find a piece of artwork, take a photo of it, write down the address, and enter the information on an online map of the city. 

If you know any background information about the artwork, such as the artist, when it was created and what it represents, all the better. Bhargava and Beck hope artists, themselves, will participate so they can include such information.

If that sounds like a lot of work, keep this in mind: There will be prizes. Also, it's meant to be fun.

Prizes will go to the person who submits the most pieces, the person who finds the most art in each neighborhood and the person who uploads the most beautiful photos of art, according to an announcement about the project.

Bhargava has no idea how many pieces of art are out there or how many entries the scavenger hunt will yield. "I couldn't guess how many [entries] we're going to get," she said.

That's sort of the point. No comprehensive account exists of the city's public art.

Bhargava said the art "should be permanent and it should be visible from public property that's free to access."

Think about it this way, the two women hope when the map is complete people will be able to use it to walk or bike around the city to see the artwork.

Temporary exhibits don't fit the bill, nor do pieces of art you have to pay to see.

While scavenger hunters will be able to upload their discoveries, Bhargava and Beck will be doing "a little bit of curating" to make sure the map is clean and useful.

The project officially launches on May 3, and you can learn more here. (Bhargava and Beck may still have been working on the site when this article was posted.)

"I'm curious to see what people plan to include," Bhargava said.