You may have noticed the thousands of flyers posted around the city of Providence offering a reward for finding a missing unicorn. What you may not know is that the flyers are all part of a public art exhibit which has captured the imagination of people around the world and is now being hosted at Residential Properties Ltd.’s corporate office at 140 Wickenden Street on the East Side of Providence. The unicorn adventure started in 2010 when flyers began showing up all around New York City announcing a missing unicorn in Central Park. Soon, hundreds of calls began flooding the Unicorn Hotline, major media outlets started covering the story, and a billboard was even donated to the cause. The search for the unicorn quickly went viral as millions of people from over 120 countries around the world participated by calling the hotline, visiting the website, and uploading images. Built around visual art by Camomile Hixon and curated by Helene Miller, this public art adventure has now been brought to Rhode Island by the Partnership for Providence Parks and the Department of Parks and Recreation. The legend of the unicorn spans across many different cultures as a unifying idea that sparks the imagination and creativity in all of us. In fact, Hixon says that the Missing Unicorn has not only been an interactive public art display, but has also served as a form of public therapy as well. “Many people who call don’t even talk about the unicorn,” explains Hixon. “They end up talking about themselves and what may be missing from their own lives.” If you have any information on the missing unicorn, or would just like to get involved, please visit the phone booth at RPL’s corporate office to leave a message on the Unicorn Hotline. Select messages will be displayed on the the Missing Unicorn website and could even be used as audio for future exhibits.
