BUCKHANNON – Many folks find Buckhannon to be filled with hidden treasures throughout its flower-lined sidewalks, well-kept parks and old brick downtown area.
And now with Buckhannon’s Free Art Fridays, residents and passersby have the chance to find local artwork purposely hidden in the city’s nooks and crannies.
“It’s like a scavenger hunt almost where artists create something – it could be just about any form of art as long as it’s physical – and hide it somewhere in Buckhannon,” explained Daniel Cain, who jump-started the project in Buckhannon back in 2014.
Once the piece of art has been hidden, the artists will post a photo of its general location to the group’s Facebook page. From then on, it’s up to those who follow the page to find the item, post that it has been found and enjoy a piece of art.
“There have been a few times in the past where people have added on to pieces of art and then rehidden them,” said Cain. “But for the most part, whoever finds it, it’s theirs.”
Folks who seek out the art have the chance of finding a range of mediums – from paintings and drawings to CDs and flower arrangements.
After struggling with a period of “artists’ block,” Cain said starting up the project helped reignite his creativity.
“So, I set it up partially to make myself make a painting or a drawing every week and just get it and just keep making stuff, and it seemed to really help,” he said. “But it was also nice because I, too, like to have art so it’s nice finding stuff and it put me in touch with artists that I didn’t even know were in Buckhannon.”
In the first two years, Cain said FAF took off rapidly; however, artists’ participation has tapered off in the past couple of years.
“It’s starting to slowly pick up especially with Danielle (Elliott) hiding her flowers,” he said. “So, hopefully it’s going to grow again and come back. There was a lot more of people finding art than people making art, but that was to be expected.”
Aside from a stellar piece of local art, Cain hopes participants begin to recognize that the area has many local artists and creative folks.
“I think it gives people the opportunity to kind of make something and put it out there and get a nice reaction to it,” he said, adding the project shows off what Buckhannon has to offer and the lay of the land.
While artists typically put their pieces of work out on nice days, Cain said he has placed items out near Christmas.
Check out the project’s Facebook page; just search ‘BuckhannonFAF,’ and check the page every Friday to find a hidden gem!
