#SpectrumScavenger: A Scavenger Hunt to Discover Houston’s Hidden Public Art

By Aubrey F. Burghardt

Attention adventurers, fortune hunters, and explorers! Let’s try something new together—and if it works out, we just may make it a regular thing. I want to help you uncover some of Houston’s most spectacular (but relatively hidden) public art. But naturally, there’s a price. Instead of just telling you where to go and what you’ll find, I thought I’d take you on a spirited scavenger hunt across the city. So carve out some time, follow the given clues, and go claim your Instagrammable treasure.

There are no strict rules; you can make this journey your own. But make sure to read carefully—none of that skimming! Here are my recommendations of what you’ll need:

• A vehicle (You can complete the scavenger hunt on bike, just make sure to allot more time).
• One to two hours
• A charged phone
• Instagram
• An operational phone camera
• Be sure to include the hashtag #SpectrumScavenger on all of your Instagram posts! You can choose to post this to your Insta story as you travel, or make a post with multiple pictures at the end!

Let the scavenger hunt commence! Here are your clues:

I live downtown, in between two buildings on McKinney and Main Street. My surface is woven, and I’m shaped like a wizard’s hat. Exit the METRORail at the Main Street stop to visit me. My medium is wood, but I’m not a tree. I’m patterned like a scarf your grandmother crocheted. Stand under me and take a close-up of the seating beneath. Be sure to take a photograph (cropped tightly as to not give me away!) and post to Insta with the hashtag #SpectrumScavenger to kick off your hunt.

From here, travel southeast for about a half mile to the place that housed thousands fleeing Harvey. Some people think my home looks like a gargantuan red, white, and blue cruise ship. You’ll need to go inside to take a view from the top—keep going up, up, up! There’s a herd of me, but we can’t take flight—we’re ensnared! Take a close-up of my textures and fluctuating light. A Boomerang video would be great, but make sure not to give my identity away to other adventurers!

The next two stops are in the ward that Project Row Houses calls home. Go to the ballroom named after the Spanish “City of Gold.” You can’t miss this pirouetting, swinging, and boogying spot—it’s pretty historic. Find the Queen’s portrait. She’s larger than life. Take a picture of the corner of her scaffolding. Pay your respects by posting a picture, she’s too beautiful not to acknowledge, but be sure to keep her identity a secret!

You can walk to our next artistic treasure. Find Delia’s spot. She doesn’t move. She likes to stay where Freedom meets Holman, and she’s rather petite. She’s left something for you on one of her embankments—though it’s not at eye level. Take a picture of the speckles in the grain—honor this ethereal beauty too.

Head back to your royal steed, because you’ll need her to travel to the southern end of the Museum District. Stay north of the Med Center. Advance toward the sweeping, grassy landscape christened after a man. His esplanade lies east of Rice University. In this wide expanse, you’ll find train tracks, water, gardens, and even little ones chasing after visiting animals. You will want to park your body, your car, or your spaceship in an allotted space closest to the monument of the man our city is named after. The parking lot is marked by the first letter of the alphabet. Walk half a mile south by following parallel to the train tracks. Stay towards your right when the path forks. It’s about a 10-minute walk. You will be hunting for a family of five, but they don’t look like you or me! Their hues conjure up memories of anti-nausea medicine, and they feel rather spongy. Post close-up shots of all five family members’ creases using the hashtag #SpectrumScavenger to finish your journey!

If you’ve completed our challenge, I encourage you to DM us on Instagram @spectrumsouth with a photo of your favorite discovery! I always cherished scavenger hunts as a child, and while there was usually some kind of tangible prize at the end, I’d like to think the reward of our hunt is a philosophical one—when you take the time to reexamine the old, you can always find new and exciting possibilities in the mundane. A shift in perspective and reinvention is always possible if you look hard enough.

Need more clues? DM us @spectrumsouth. Plus, make sure to follow Spectrum South on Instagram—we’ll be posting the scavenger hunt answers soon!