The treasure hunt is inspired by quilts and textiles. Hidden around the city in 18 walkable partner locations are a series of 12-inch by 12-inch boards with designs inspired by the city’s landmarks, buildings, and industries. The boards mimic a patchwork style.

To begin the hunt, interested scavengers can register for a kit on the museum’s website or in person. Family members of the museum can register for free, while others cost $5. The kit will include puzzles and clues about each location. To find them all, hunters must solve the clues in the location, then answer a simple question on the board.

If hunters find at least 13 locations, they will receive a prize and be entered to win two additional Halloween-based prizes in October. There are four tickets available for the museum’s 13th annual Illuminating the Past Lantern tour and four tickets for the museum’s new escape room featuring a fictional story based on the Connecticut Witch Panic.

“Practical arts such as quilting and other textile crafts have historically been considered the domain of women and have not often been thoroughly investigated,” said Ramin Ganeshram, executive director of the Westport Museum for History and Culture. “The CAMP/MOCA show invites visitors to explore women’s art as civic engagement and our quilt exhibit helps provide historical context with vintage pieces.”

Ganeshram said this program is available for people of all ages, including families, couples, singles and more.

“As public historians, we always try to find engaging ways for the community to engage with history,” Ganeshram said. “We know the story is full of mysteries and interesting hidden facts and that’s a way to tie it into the idea of ​​a treasure hunt.”

Ganeshram said it is also part of the main mission of the museum to partner with other cultural institutions in the city.

“What a fun way to make sure people have something to do over the summer, to be able to explore local businesses and local nonprofits, and to really draw attention to those partner organizations as well as the the museum, as well as on these superb summer exhibitions”, Nicole Carpenter, director of programs and collections of the museum.

Carpenter also said the organizers know there are a lot of new families in Westport and they think it would be a great way to learn more about the organizations involved, and get involved in something fun and interesting. learn the history of their new community.

CAMP gallery has an exhibit on fiber art, and they approached the museum and MOCA to explore more areas inside and provide a story about it, which includes quilts.

Carpenter said textiles, including quilts, have a rich history. The museum hosts three quilts in person and two on its online portal as part of the exhibit which showcases regional and national histories. Their quilts date from the 19th and 20th centuries and tell stories of women’s work at that time. Some of the quilts were made locally and traveled across the country.

The quilts also sometimes include hidden messages, according to Carpenter, matching the theme of this scavenger hunt.

Carpenter hopes this will encourage people – residents and non-locals alike – to explore Westport and learn more about the partner organizations, as well as visit the exhibits.

“There are so many big and small stories of buildings that are on these painted quilt squares,” she also said.

Carpenter said each of the 18 locations can help people find the signs if they get stuck. However, even some of the partners do not know the specific location. If people are extremely stuck, Carpenter said they can call the museum for help.

“It’s something different and new for our visitors,” Ganeshram said. “What we really love is that it’s something that we hope will really appeal to everyone.”

“It’s really a scavenger hunt to find those signs, answer those clues, and find those little gems hidden around town,” Carpenter said.

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