Bainbridge Island Museum of Art kicks off anniversary celebration with countywide treasure hunt

Kitsap Sun
·2 min read
Hundreds of glass balls, created by students at a Tacoma-based art nonprofit, will be placed in public spaces around Kitsap County in April as part of a countywide "treasure hunt" sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
Hundreds of glass balls, created by students at a Tacoma-based art nonprofit, will be placed in public spaces around Kitsap County in April as part of a countywide "treasure hunt" sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

Heads up parkgoers, you may stumble on something interesting this month at your favorite forest or public land.

On Saturday, April 1, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) kicks off its 10th-anniversary celebration with an arts-enthusiast version of the traditional Easter egg hunt the museum is calling “Treasure Trek.”

BIMA commissioned Hilltop Artists, a Tacoma-based non-profit that provides glass arts programming to youth, to create over 200 glass balls, each featuring BIMA’s logo. The museum will hide these balls across Kitsap County’s public lands, inspiring residents to get outside and experience art in nature.

Korum Bischoff, director of communications and visitor experience at BIMA, said this partnership with Hilltop Artists seemed fitting as the museum strives to feature artists from the Puget Sound region.

Charli Berry, engagement and communications manager at Hilltop Artists, said each ball takes about 15 minutes to make. All of the balls were created over the course of three months.

Berry said the youth of Hilltop Artists are excited for community members to view and enjoy their art work.

"Our students and alum are always thrilled to contribute to larger community projects like this," Berry said.

The balls created by Hilltop Artists’ youth mirror Japanese glass fishing floats. Bischoff said fishermen used to place these floats inside their nets to prevent them from sinking. Thus, the history of these floats turning up along the Pacific Coast and Puget Sound beaches inspired the balls used in this treasure hunt.

Bischoff said BIMA worked with Kitsap County, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Parks to get permission to hide these balls, which are each marked with a number and directions to ensure none are left behind. Glass balls will be hidden from the northernmost point of Buck Lake County Park in Hansville to the southernmost point of Anderson Point County Park in Olalla. Other locations can be found on BIMA’s website.

To help track what balls have been found, BIMA asks treasure trekkers to share photos of their finds with the hashtag “#BIMATreasureTrek.” Those who share will have the chance to win prize packages, such as tickets to the museum’s gala this June or a gift certificate to the museum store. Additionally, those who find the balls are welcome to keep them. BIMA asks participants to only keep one ball each.

An initial 100 balls will be hidden on April 1 and the remainder will be hidden until the Treasure Trek concludes on June 1, 2023. Bischoff said participants can look forward to continuing BIMA anniversary celebrations with a gala in June and a block party in August.

In the meantime, BIMA’s website urges Kitsap County treasure hunters to “grab (their) galoshes and get ready to discover art where you least expect it...”

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Glass balls around Kitsap for Bainbridge art museum's treasure hunt