In May of 2011, the McMaster Museum of Art joined the geocaching world and launched its first Art Adventure Geocoin! Since then, our geocache has had over 400 logged visits, and we’ve sent a total of 91 coins out into the world, each with the goal of reaching the home town of the artist it is named after (or travelling the equivalent distance).

Geocaching is a great way to explore the outdoors using the Geocaching App (or a GPS device), which allows users to find caches (hidden containers), discover items inside (like our trackable Art Adventure coins), and see where these items have visited. If you’re new to geocaching, you’ll be surprised by how many caches there are right in your own neighbourhood! The summer months mean that more people are coming to campus to take in McMaster’s architecture, gardens, and Willy Dog stands. Logs in our cache show that people visit for a variety of reasons – a class, a conference, a hospital visit, and, for some, a first time visit to campus for the specific purpose of seeking out caches. However, while the warm weather often brings a wave of explorers our way, the Museum’s coins are travelling continuously throughout the year. Needless to say, our coins have been busy!

UPDATE

Of our 91 coins, 36 have reached or surpassed their goal!

8 geocoins have travelled the distance around the world (24,860 miles / 40,008km)… some more than once!

• Matisse Geocoin has travelled 73,757 miles / 118,011.2 km to date
• Beckman Geocoin has travelled 55,617 miles / 88,987.2 km to date
• Warhol Geocoin #2 has travelled 40,502 miles / 64,803.2 km to date
• Cuyp Geocoin has travelled 38,012 miles / 60,819.2 km to date
• Degas Geocoin has travelled 32,321 miles / 51,713.6 km to date
• Andy Warhol Geocoin has travelled 28,012 miles / 44,819.2 km to date
• Gaudier-Brzeska Geocoin has travelled 26,787 miles / 42,859.2 km to date
• Kandinsky Geocoin has travelled 26,413 miles / 42,260.8 km to date

The most recent movers:

• Warhol Geocoin #2 – Has travelled around the world 1.6 times, travelled 209 times its goal distance of 194 miles / 312 km to almost 1000 caches, and is still on the move! Currently in Saskatchewan.
• Cuyp Geocoin – Has travelled around the world 1.5 times, travelled 10 times its goal distance of 3,758 miles / 6,049 km, and is currently in Overijssel, Netherlands.
• Kandinsky Geocoin – Has travelled once around the world, travelled 6 times its goal distance of 4,683 miles / 7,536 km, and is currently in Zuid-Holland, Netherlands.
• Lawrence Geocoin – Has travelled 3 times its goal distance of 3,487 miles / 5,612 km, and is currently in Eastern England.
• Lemmen Geocoin #2 – Has travelled almost 3 times its goal distance of 3,778 miles / 6,079 km, and is still going! Recently travelled around the Caribbean before making its way to Nova Scotia.
• Degas Geocoin – Has travelled around the world 1.3 times, travelled 8.6 times its goal distance of 3,760 miles / 6,051 km, and is currently in Southern Scotland.
• Walker Geocoin #2 – Has travelled 32.5 times its distance goal of 544 miles / 875 km, and is currently in Oregon.
• Lemmen Geocoin – Has almost travelled the world once, travelled 6 times its goal distance of 3,778 miles / 6,079 km, and is currently in California.
• Matisse Geocoin – Has travelled the world almost 3 times! It travelled 19.5 times its goal distance of 3,767 miles / 6,062 km before disappearing somewhere in Michigan earlier this year… who knows where it may turn up next!

– Rachel Sullivan, Monitor, McMaster Museum of Art