by Julie D. Andrews
The clock ticked relentlessly. Ten minutes remained. And still, two questions were without answers. Our four-person team whipped through the armor exhibit like a tornado. First, all eyes darted to the paper to scan the clue. Then, we scattered about the room each peering into glass cases in search of an answer.
“Got it!” shouted someone. Our secretary’s ears popped up. She scurried over and scribbled down the answer. “Five minutes,” she said. We pulled together one more response, but were forced to leave the last one blank. Time was up. It was just before 8:00 p.m. and we had to get to the Temple of Dendur to meet our fellow scavengers.
More than 60 people gathered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday evening a couple of weeks back to participate in the Naked at the Met organized by Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts. On Thursday, the event had sold out – as the popular hunts often do.
The search-and-find flesh mission attracted a broad cross-section of museum goers – from middle-aged married couples to clusters of slightly older grizzle-haired women to groups of twenty- and thirty-something friends.
“I always get "museum guilt" – that I live in the city and don't appreciate it by doing cool "NYC" things,” said 34-year-old Stephen Carl, who arrived from Brooklyn. “The Hunt is a great way to alleviate that. It’s like Road Rules meets Art Appreciation. You go through challenges, build teamwork, and along the way pass a Matisse, some Rembrandts and other classic masterpieces.”
On arrival, our team of four huddled together amidst the makings of our competitor teams. The rules were explained and score sheets divvied up.
We would have two hours to fill in 29 gaps on an answer sheet. Teams would be staggered so that each would start at a different section of the museum. For a correct response, a team would earn one point. When time was up, we’d gather at the Temple of Dendur to award the winning team their trophy maroon tee shirts.
There was to be no running (trampling over mere ‘tourists’ in pursuit of loot would be unacceptable) and groups were to stick together in a given room, answering one question at a time.
“Are you ready?” asked the MC, who mentioned that she and her colleagues would be keeping an eye on all teams from afar.
On your marks, get set – oh wait. No running. This was a race of minds, not legs. Our group set off for The American Wing in ardent search of nakedness. It took us a minute to catch on, a moment to really get into the head of the question writer. But then, the light bulb went off.
Sometimes solving a clue would be as blatant as finding the naked sculpture with a perfectly rounded, um, apple at his backside. Other times, we’d scrutinize a row of objects to find the one that displayed a figure using a hand to ever so discreetly lunge at a partner’s private areas, or find the item featuring a “cocky jockey.”
These clues pinpoint the minute, surprisingly scandalous motifs, gestures or translations which otherwise might go unnoticed. The Metropolitan Museum is so massive that in an attempt to get as close to seeing as much as possible at each visit, one may easily breeze by a row of paintings without realizing the deeper symbolism, which may tell a Scarlet Letter-esque saucy tale of unrequited love, a pregnancy out of wedlock, or show early transsexuals from earlier times when the punishments for such behavior could be severe.
Seeing these themes unearth themselves served as a gentle reminder of how odd human nature can be, and how no era has been without its temptations and unscrupulous deeds.
While there weren’t camcorders or cell phone cameras in ages past, court painters were able to capture quite a bit of detail … and drama … on canvas.
Seconds after the deadline, we gathered to hear the results. It was a close tie between the names ‘We’ll Take a Large’ and ‘Super Frickin’ Awesome’ which won most accolades from the judges and got the prize point.
The young couple announced as the winners won the admiring gaze of their fellow brainiac scavengers. A round of applause ensued as the two held up the maroon shirts.
This whole new, hilarious way of looking at the buttoned-up museum came about in 1993. Bret Watson, born in Long Island, began taking romps through the exhibitions with friends at an annual museum party in which he pointed out oft overlooked comic details of the art works.
In 1998, what started as a lighthearted hobby became a business run out of the stand-up comedian’s apartment.
The concept has since skyrocketed with New York weekenders.
“This past weekend, there were five public scavenger hunts and a handful of private hunts,” said Rachel Hausner, Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts MC of three years.
Needless to say, Watson no longer MCs all the events; he has a staff to handle that. And, he no longer works out of his apartment; he operates hunts in Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington. Watson does still write the slapstick questions himself, though, said Hausner.
On strategy, said Hausner: “Meet other people at the hunt and join up to form a team of six. Having more brains makes it easier and it’s fun when you get to know the others.” And, she said, with unknown teammates, there tends to be less in-fighting.
When eyeing up bystanders for potential teammates, though, keep an open mind. Hausner was near shocked when a woman brought her five-year-old to the Grand Central Station Hunt … and the two walked with the trophy shirts.
Another tip: don’t forget to snatch a museum plan on your way in. You’ll need it to navigate your way through the hunt. The Murder Mystery Hunt at the Met is also very popular.
Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts
877-9 GO HUNT (877-946-4868), extension 12
http://www.watsonadventures.com
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