Since the threads today have devolved into the surreal I bring you something else to think about. A new exhibit opens at the Wadsworth in Hartford this Saturday. The novelty to the exhibit is the idea that a puzzle game can liven things up a bit. So, along side the more stodgy, “Fame and Fortune: Five Centuries of European Masterworks”, you have also “TO CATCH A THIEF.” Museumgoers get to solve a puzzle as they view the exhibit.

To solve this puzzle, a would-be Einstein Anderson must wander through five centuries of art searching for dragons and knights. For angels and skeletons. For faces and animals.

The clues may be hidden in plain sight, but they aren’t easy to find.

Wick says he was inspired by “The Da Vinci Code,” but there is no need to study ancient symbolism or dead languages to find the thief.

This is a mystery meant to be solved, but it will take a careful eye and a willingness to tackle the problem on multiple levels to find out who led a life of crime and escaped punishment, if not notice.

“There is a lot of territory to cover,” Wick says. “Kids will be better at finding some things than adults will be. The puzzle was made with kids in mind, but it’s a challenge for anyone.”

The Courant article details the history behind the guy who created the puzzle, read all about it here.

Wick is famous for his “I Spy” and “Can You See What I See?” series of picture puzzle books, but he was creating visual and verbal brainteasers long before he was delighting kids with his talent.

Wick designed puzzles that served as covers for Games magazine and amused himself creating other visual mazes.

Otherwise, the exhibit and game begins Saturday and runs through Dec. 7, when the “Faith and Fortune: Five Centuries of European Masterworks,” exhibit ends.

source: The Courant, Masterpiece Teaser
By MATT EAGAN, September 25, 2007