The Two Rivers Mansion formally invites would-be sleuths to a night of art, refreshments, and… criminal investigation?
Returning to the historic Two Rivers Mansion on May 20, The Mystery Art League (MAL) will offer to the public its latest campaign, “Stolen Like a Poet, Spoken Like a Thief.”
The event’s story focuses on cutthroat art collector Aiden Pleasant. After returning to his home from an extended hospital stay, Pleasant finds the body of a burglar who died after becoming trapped by the home’s security system.
Realizing that the thief hid several prized art pieces from his collection, Pleasant has invited the public to his home to help him recover the art the authorities could not find. He has provided guests with the cryptic poetry left behind by the dead thief—poetry he believes to be essential to recovering the stolen art.
Speaking about the Mystery Art League, event founder Randy Purcell states, “Every campaign we do is an opportunity to showcase new artwork, tell a unique story, and create a game to tie it all together. This event is no exception. It comes to Two Rivers Mansion as the best game we’ve done yet! This is because it represents the culmination of our experience in past campaigns.”
To help people get the most enjoyment during “Stolen Like a Poet…,” Randy and crew have created three tiers of gameplay.
Randy explains, “For anyone who wants to enjoy a simple game while making the scene, we recommend Tier One. Tier one will entail a mix of treasure hunt and some simple riddles. Next comes Tier Two which is more complicated but still allows guests to enjoy the game at their own pace. I will contain more complicated riddles and some encrypted messages. and finally, for the brainiacs who think they’re smarter than us—we’ve cooked up Tier Three! This is the most complicated level of play, requiring that participants pay very close attention to subtle patterns.”
Adding to the fun, Randy shares that guests of the event are encouraged to dress like their favorite detectives. “Whether you love Sherlock Holmes, Magnum PI, Scooby Doo, or Nancy Drew… Our goal is for our guests to be more engaged with the artwork while getting lost in the game’s storyline.”
As noted, there have been previous Mystery Art League adventures. This latest event will be the third public Mystery Art League campaign. Created as a fun vehicle for new audiences to appreciate the arts, Mystery Art League was first conceived in late 2020 during the pandemic.
This year’s event production comes to Two Rivers Mansion courtesy of Randy’s team of visual artists. A celebrated encaustic artist who transfers ink from magazines onto beeswax, Randy co-wrote the story along with friend and academic Tim Buchanan. Randy also lent his talents to creating some of the art for this campaign, along with local artists Mihail Tomescu, Grant Cooley, Ken Walls, and Dayo Johnson.
Information about the Two Rivers Mansion—including the venue’s calendar—can be found via its website. For further information about the Mystery Art League, be sure to visit its website and social media.
Two Rivers Mansion is located at 3130 McGavock Pk., Nashville, TN 37214.
