Press release from WMHC:
July 1, 2022
Do you love riddles, puzzles, and the thrill of the find? Then this summer’s quilt square scavenger hunt by Westport Museum for History & Culture (WMHC) is the activity for you. Featuring stops throughout town, the quilt-themed scavenger hunt is a special program to accompany quilt and textile displays and exhibits at Westport Museum, The CAMP Gallery, and MOCA Westport.
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“Practical arts such as quilting and other textile crafts are historically considered the domain of women and have not often been the subject of engaged inquiry,” said Westport Museum for History & Culture Executive Director, Ramin Ganeshram. “The CAMP/MOCA show invites visitors to explore women’s art as civic engagement and our quilt display helps give historical context with vintage pieces.”
A highlight of the WMHC exhibition of vintage quilts is the scavenger hunt that will take place between July 15th and July 30th during which wooden “quilt squares” will be hidden at 18
locations around Westport. Most locations will be walkable within the downtown area. Hunters will answer riddles to find the locations then answer another riddle about each found square. “This is an event that everyone can enjoy—even the littlest visitors with the help of a grown-up or older sibling,” said Ramin Ganeshram, Westport Museum for History & Culture Executive Director. “We hope the scavenger hunt will encourage folks not only to visit the quilt exhibitions but to get outside and explore sites throughout the town and see them in a new light. They may even learn some hidden history in the process!”
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Melanie Prapopoulos, founder of the CAMP Gallery said program collaboration with the Westport Museum was logical for Women Pulling the Threads of Social Discourse because of the humanities themes that the exhibit explores.
“Our exhibit is inspired by the gendered history of textile work as the domain of women,” said CAMP founder, Melanie Prapopoulos. “In its programs, exhibits and walking tours, Westport Museum’s inclusive approach to history continually examines how women have been left out of much of the social discourse in everything from artistic to bodily autonomy. We’re delighted to work together on this scavenger hunt to add another layer to this inquiry that is both engaging and entertaining.”
Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse is a collaboration is a between MoCA Westport, The Contemporary Art Modern Project (The CAMP Gallery) and the Fiber Artists Miami Association (FAMA) exposing the social and cultural vulnerability in women's rights, past and present. The exhibition explores how female artists, utilizing textiles as their medium, subvert the social expectation of crafting by lambasting this soft medium with political and social awareness. Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse will be on view at MoCA Westport from June 30 - September 4, 2022. Admission is free and open to the public.
"MoCA Westport, formerly known as the Westport Arts Center, has been a cornerstone of the Westport community for over 50 years. We are excited to collaborate with the Westport Museum for History & Culture this summer to continue our mission to deliver engaging arts and cultural experiences. Our summer exhibition, focused on textiles, is a perfect complement to the scavenger hunt," stated Ruth Mannes, MoCA Westport's Executive Director.
Scavenger hunt packets are free for Family Members and $5 for nonmembers. They can be purchased at bit.ly/WestportScavengerHunt or by visiting the Museum at 25 Avery Place. Packets will be available for download on July 15th.
Once completed scavenger hunt packets are turned in to the Museum. Those packets with at least 13 entries completed will receive a prize on submission and then be entered into a drawing for several prizes including tickets to two Halloween events taking place in October. These include four tickets to the Museum’s 13th Annual Illuminating the past Lantern Tour and four tickets to our all-new Escape Room featuring a fictionalized story based on Connecticut's Witch Panic. Winners will be randomly selected from completed packets that are returned to the Museum by July 29th at 5 pm.
This press release was produced by WMHC. The views expressed here are the author's own.
