Join Baltimore Heritage and the Walters Art Museum for Wiki ♥ Monuments – a local photo scavenger hunt where we ask you to take photos of outdoor public artworks across the city and share them on Wikipedia. From historic landmarks like the Washington Monument to the more modest civic sculpture of the 1970s, public artwork is an important part of our Baltimore’s cultural heritage. Unfortunately, many artworks often seem invisible to people driving or walking by. Many artworks are overlooked both in the world at large and on Wikipedia. Taking and sharing photographs is a great first step to documenting public artworks in Baltimore and raising awareness about their importance for our city. In addition, by adding these photos to Wikipedia, Baltimore’s sculptures and monuments can be more visible and accessible to people across the world.
How can you participate in Wiki ♥ Monuments?
All you need is a digital camera and the list of public artworks – available (along with a map) from the Walters Art Museum. The full list includes over 250 artworks from across the city identified in the Save Outdoor Sculpture! Database maintained by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art and the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts. Here are a few helpful guidelines.
- While most of these artworks should be easy to find, a few may have been moved or destroyed so a little searching may be required.
- You can take as few (or as many) photos as you like but taking photos of each artwork from different angles and vantage points is a good idea.
- You may want to take a reference photo, including a index card with the name and date of the piece. This will help you to later provide complete and accurate information when uploading the image.
- You can then upload them yourself on the Walters Art Museum website or join us on August 11 for an “Upload Party” at the museum.
We’ll be adding a bit of competition by awarding points for each photograph and extra points for photos taken outside of the neighborhoods around the Walters Art Museum in Mt. Vernon. Questions? Get in touch with Eli Pousson at pousson@baltimoreheritage.org.
