A Mystery Unlocked: Students Bring Family Quest to Life

Families became explorers, detectives, artists and musicians during the first-ever Family Quest at the Yager Museum of Art & Culture, held Sunday afternoon, Nov. 16. Designed and led by Hartwick College students, the event transformed the campus museum into an interactive experience where art, culture and history sparked curiosity in every corner.

The mission? Complete six hands-on activities, gather puzzle pieces and solve the mystery of the “Treasure of the Yager Museum.” Featuring scavenger hunts, craft stations and music-making, young adventurers tackled each challenge with enthusiasm and received a prize at the end for their efforts.

The quest drew nearly 40 visitors, filling the museum for the whole three-hour event. Museum Director and Coordinator of the Museum Studies Program Doug Kendall, who advised the Hartwick student team throughout the semester, said the event’s success was due to the students’ thoughtful planning and collaboration.

“The students planned everything — from activity design to logistics, publicity, even the catering menu,” Kendall said. “Everyone worked hard and they did a great job. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Family Quest was the semester project for the course MUST 304 Places of Learning: Museum and Education. Seven students — Quinn Francis ’27, Madeline Spencer ’27, Delaney Blair ’26, James Liu-Silverstein ’27, Vaughn Wagnecz ’26, Kwame Amissah-Arthur ’26, and Noelle Mulik ’27 — collaborated closely with Kendall and Museum Curator Quentin Lewis to bring the program to life.

Students also ensured the experience connected to current exhibitions inside the museum. Self-guided scavenger hunts immersed guests in the Discovering Our Place: Working, Learning, and Playing Within These Hills and Memorializing the Underground Railroad: The Harry Bradshaw Matthews Collection displays. Watercolor and sketchbook-making stations drew inspiration from The Study of One Thing: the Zen Arts of Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei.

Spencer ’27 was drawn to developing this event because of the focus on children and families. “With so much emphasis and attention put on screens today, this was a great opportunity for kids to work with their hands and for parents to speak with each other outside of a school environment,” Spencer said. “Seeing a kid finally put their puzzle together and get that gift bag made me smile each time.”

Spencer created and led a popular craft inspired by the significance of multicolored maize in Indigenous cultures. Children used pipe cleaners and beads to design their own ears of corn, a hands-on way to discover a tradition they may have only seen in books.

Francis ’27, who served as project director, says the experience has shaped future career goals. “My role as project director will really benefit me moving forward,” said Francis. “It provided me with valuable hands-on experience with the development and execution of an educational program at a museum. The experience also allowed me to improve my resume, especially in team leadership and project management, which will help me in any future role.”

Some Family Quest activities may appear again, but because each MUST 304 class develops its own unique program, students will have the opportunity to create something unique when the course returns for the fall 2027 semester. Previous student-designed programs have ranged from a “Murder at the Museum” mystery experience geared specifically for a Hartwick student audience to an “Afternoon at the Museum” event for children, both very different from this year’s family-focused quest.