There’s a mystery brewing at the Art Museum of West Virginia University. One of its priceless works of art has gone missing, and museum staff need help finding it!
The Art Museum invites community members to help unravel the mystery on Oct. 24 from 5-7 p.m. Attendees to “Mystery at the Museum” can channel their inner Sherlock Holmes and sleuth around the exhibition “Evolving Visions: A Century of Women Artists Working in Abstraction” to hunt for clues, crack codes and question staff members as they search for the missing artwork.
“There are some great stories behind the women and the artists here, and maybe some ghosts’ ire at being excluded from traditional art historical canons,” said Heather Harris, the Curator of Education at the Art Museum of WVU and an assistant professor in the School of Art and Design.
Search parties will be limited to 10 people or fewer; solo participants are encouraged to attend and join a group to scour the collection for clues. The first team to solve the mystery will get a prize.
The “Mystery at the Museum” event is for ages 17 and up. Admission is free, and attendees are welcome to come in costume. Doors open at 5 p.m. for light refreshments in the Grand Hall, and the mystery unfolds promptly at 5:30 p.m., so those wishing to participate must arrive on time.
For a family-friendly excursion to the Art Museum, check out the museum’s monthly story hour. On Sunday, Oct. 19, from 1-2 p.m., families can hear stories read aloud and do Halloween-themed crafts, with a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt to follow from 2-3 p.m.
For more information about “Mystery at the Museum” and other events, visit https://artmuseum.wvu.edu.
(Disclaimer: No art has been harmed in the making of this event. All artworks in the Art Museum of WVU are handled and cared for according to the best standard of museum practice.)