Terry Olson, Orlando art scene guru, answered a few questions about his upcoming event, The Great Public Art Challenge, a public art scavenger hunt on Saturday, April 12, 2008 from 2pm-4pm. Meeting place: Orange County Administration Center (201 S. Rosalind Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801). More info: ocfl.net/arts or 407-219-3157Where did you get the idea for this event?
We knew we wanted to do some sort of event to help get people thinking about the art that is around them every day. I personally love treasure hunts and challenges. It was a group process. First broad ideas from members of the Public Art Review Board and interested people and even a little think tank group specifically about this event. We worked with Ron Sachs Communication to firm up the details and manage the event.
What can participants expect?
Lots of people coming and going from one piece of public art to another and talking about the challenges they were asked to accomplish at each station in order to get validation for that station. Each participant will need to find seven pieces of public art from clues given at the beginning. At each piece of public art there will be a station with a challenge related to one of the art forms (music, theatre, dance, visual arts). After completing each challenge (ANYONE, young, old, talented, "nontalented" can participate). They will get a validation. When they've received their seven validations they return to the beginning to enter their name for prize drawings. There should be a lot of laughter and new awareness of art around them.
How in the heck did you get a year's free condo as a prize?
Well that is not YET confirmed. I had one verbal confirmation but then . . . can you believe it . . . they rented it. We are still working on a couple other possibilities, but at this point we haven't been able to confirm. Actually because so many condos have come on the market in the past year it was a good time to ask. A year from now will probably be a different story as the market fills in.
Any local celebs gonna attend the event?
I think Mark Baratelli will be there! And there might be some other just as famous Orlando-connected folks there. (From the editor: Um, Terry Olson called me a local celeb! Woo!)
Anything else you'd like to share with the readers?
We are getting more and more art in public view. I hope everyone will come to the event and start being conscious of the art around them.