Eco Art Treasure Hunt (Public Art Project)
This public art project continues my Plastic Fossils series, which raises awareness about the environmental impact of single-use plastics. Inspired by Forrest Fenn’s The Thrill of the Chase, this project reimagines the concept as an eco-themed public art treasure hunt.
Each eco-art treasure hunt location is paired with an original poem that offers clues to where the treasure is hidden. The poems are shared on Instagram and in local cafes to invite public participation and spark engagement with the issue of plastic waste.
Those who find a treasure get to keep it. Each hidden piece consists of a small crushed and twisted ceramic bottle, glazed by hand and modeled after a common single-use plastic bottle, enclosed in a hand-built black clay treasure chest. Inside the chest are also the printed poem and instructions.
So far, I’ve hidden treasures in New York City, NY, and Santa Fe, NM, with more locations planned. Please follow on instagram @_eternal_narrative_ for more information. Below are the poems for each site.
2. Santa Fe, NM (Found by Leslie Lori, March 2026)
“The Treasure Beneath the Desert Sky”
Begin where foothills kiss the sky,
And waters from the mountains lie.
The Santa Fe runs thin but strong,
Its voice has whispered here so long.
Follow the trail where cottons lean,
Their roots embrace the silver stream.
Cross where the stones make stepping ways,
And bridges hum with passing days.
Not single use plastic, bought and tossed,
But clay reborn for what we’ve lost.
It waits where river’s bend is wide,
And shadows cool the sandy side.
A Cedar not far you’ll see,
Where walkers rest beneath the tree.
There look below, near roots that twine,
A chest of earth guards what is mine.
The bottle asks in silence still:
“What trace remains of human will?
To waste, to crush, to throw away,
Or shape with care another day?”
To The Finder:
You’ve solved the path, the hidden song,
The crafted art was here all along.
But take with you its meaning deep:
Protect the river, guard its keep.
Take a photo, spread the word,
Let this small bottle’s voice be heard.
For what we save, and what we mend,
Is where the healing can begin.
The artwork belongs to you! Please send me a photo of you finding the treasure and spread the word!
1. New York City, NY (Found by Kelsey Fritsch, September 2025)
“The Bottle Beneath the Willows”
To the park’s north end, where waters sleep,
And willows by the shoreline weep,
Where turtles bask and anglers stay,
The hunt for truth begins today.
The bottle’s form — not one you’d drink —
Is art that asks you now to think.
Of plastics tossed with no regret,
Still tangled in the grasses yet.
Look near the bank, not far from trail,
Where shadows stretch and herons sail.
Among the reeds, beneath a tree, under a rock
Lies something shaped by artistry.
Not crushed or clear, but kiln-fired bright,
It tells of waste in softer light.
A symbol made to last, not spill,
Its silent message haunts you still.
It waits where quiet walkers go,
Beyond the pond, where breezes blow.
A bench is near, some wrappers too—
Discarded things the wind once flew.
Beneath a limb that dips down low,
By roots that twist, and waters flow,
A bottle sits, both fierce and fair,
And asks what you will leave there.
To the Finder:
If you uncover this crafted clue,
The artwork now belongs to you.
But carry with it what it means—
A call to keep these waters and soil clean.
Snap a photo, spread the word,
Let this small bottle’s voice be heard.
For what we leave, and what we mend,
Is where the healing can begin.