Snippet of Renoir painting.

Are You Up for a Challenge?

During the summer of 2008, New York Times photographer, Librado Romero created the “Hidden in Plain Sight” challenge for readers. Using the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as the foundation, Mr. Romero photographed small elements of paintings on exhibit. The challenge was to examine the snippet, go to the indicated hall/room and find its origin painting.

Each week featured a different theme, e.g., hands, tabletops, etc. The exercise was a unique way to explore the museum.  My daughter and I truly enjoyed the experience.

Using Mr. Romero’s work as inspiration, we are challenging our readers to a similar exercise. The beauty of this one is that you don’t need to leave your home and there aren’t any museum entry or parking fees.

Arts education has taken a hit or been eliminated in some school districts. This is a way to offset the harm done by the loss of these programs.

Before the challenge is presented a few words of warning. This challenge uses artworks/pieces from the Barnes Collection, which was chosen as the premier museum because of its unique presentation style and Mr. Barnes’ equal treatment of all art and artists.

The collection contains many “nudes.” None are used as for this challenge, but the works are nearly impossible to avoid as you search.

If you aren’t comfortable with the nature of this activity, I respect your position. You’ll have other opportunities to participate in challenges that aren’t art related.

With that being said, let’s begin.

How it Works

If you want to see a video description of the original challenge, go to the Education Unpacked YouTube channel for an overview.

The first challenge is Patterns/Objects. Download the file here.

The file contains all ten snippets for the challenge as well as a walkthrough of how to navigate the website.

Explore & Have Fun

This should be a fun, interactive activity.

Since there aren’t any prizes, there aren’t any rules. We encourage you to work in pairs or teams with family or friends. The more eyes the better. If you want to try it on your own, that’s fine, too. No one will know or judge you.

You can use the comments section to report your success, e.g., “found all” or “found 5, etc.” Please do not provide any clues or identifiers.

The title of the art and the artist (if known) will be revealed next week. Find them all and you may get a shoutout during the reveal.

Enjoy the challenge!

(Be sure to subscribe and turn on notifications to the YouTube channel, so you’ll know when the reveal is uploaded.)

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