[Click here for a Noozhawk photo gallery from the event.]
More than 150 art enthusiasts were recently treated to the 10th “Mystery in Masterpieces: A Mystery Hunt at the Museum,” an eagerly anticipated fundraiser presented by the Women’s Board of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
“This is one of our major fundraisers, Mystery and Masterpieces helps us raise money to support the museum,” said Mary Maxwell, SBMA Women’s Board president. “It’s one of the most exciting and favorite events in the city, and it’s particularly challenging because we have a hunt and you have to really think hard and look at the art, which is one of the most important things we do here at the museum, is provide art for our community.”
Guests dressed in black tie attire mingled around the spacious galleries enjoying fine wine and delicious hors d’oeurvres while also bidding on an array of silent auction items as the joyful atmosphere grew to a fever pitch in anticipation for the evening’s mystery hunt.
Inside the Preston Morton Gallery, the elated treasure hunters gathered for welcome remarks from Larry Feinberg, the SBMA’s Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Director.
“I want to thank all of you for your contributions,” he said. “By attending tonight you’re helping the museum and its programs.”
Feinberg also praised the Women’s Board for the members’ continued efforts to help raise funds for future acquisitions, educational programs and exhibitions for the museum, including the newest exhibition, “Labour and Wait,” a show of contemporary art inspired in part by developments that stem from as far back as the industrial revolution to the present day. It is scheduled to debut July 2.
Clue master Jamie Fleming, with collaborators Gary Krueger and John Fleming, created an enthralling list of 20 clues designed to help players decode the mysteries in the plan of the paintings.
Fleming, who has been a key figure in organizing mystery hunts since 1989, forewarned players not to give away the answer when they solve a clue since “one shriek in the gallery and everyone gets the answer.”
Guests were also reminded that knowledge of art was not required, but employing a keen eye while looking at the artwork was essential for solving the mysteries in the one-hour time limit.
Equipped with a pencil, clue list and a map of the museum, guests turned into modern-day detectives as they roamed around the galleries trying to unravel the “mystery” hidden within the masterpieces.
Helene Segal, who attended the event for the first time with her husband, told Noozhawk that even with the list of mystery clues, finding the right answers was still a challenge.
“Looking for the clues was so much fun, and as they say it’s diabolical and lovely,” Segal said. “You think you know, but you really have to second guess yourself and then most often you can come up with the right answer.”
At the conclusion of the mystery hunt, players turned in their clue sheets, and after coffee and dessert the crowd reassembled inside the Mary Craig Auditorium where the mysteries were revealed during an awards ceremony.
The auditorium filled with laughter, groans, hoots, whistles and cheers during the slideshow presentation as Fleming called out the answers to each of the clues that was cleverly concealed in the artwork.
Bruised egos aside, the audience shared an overall feeling of camaraderie, and goodwill among players intervened and the room erupted in hardy applause when the mystery winners jumped from their seats and rushed up to the stage to claim their prize.
Third-prize winners Bob Johnson and Lisa Reich received a dinner and spa day for two at Bacara Resort & Spa, while second-prize winners Matt and Jamie Schuster took home a watercolor painting by Ray Hunter. Grand-prize mystery hunt winners David and Catherine Major, who were second-place winners at the 2011 Mystery and Masterpieces, clinched an original painting by Ralph Waterhouse of the Waterhouse Gallery.
“This is a really wonderful event, and the clues are a lot of fun and we really enjoyed it,” a smiling David Major said. “The hardest clue was the one we missed.”
Established in 1951, the Women’s Board has donated or raised funds for the purchase of more than 60 works of art for the museum and also promotes a variety of education outreach programs aimed to enhance art appreciation for families and at risk youths, such as Art in Motion and Homework/Artwork After School.
Click here for more information about the museum. Click here for more information about the Women’s Board.
The SBMA Women’s Board graciously thanks the 2013 Mystery Hunt sponsors, including:
» Patrons: Joanne Pearson, Jewelry by Gauthier, Montecito Bank & Trust and SBMA Women’s Board Sustaining Members
» Donors: Gwen and Henry Baker, Binns Family Trust, Susan and Claude Case, Deanna and Bill Major, and Gretchen and Marshall Milligan
— Noozhawk iSociety columnist Melissa Walker can be reached at mwalker@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.
