My favorite holiday - Game of Shrooms - is almost here, and this year I will be hiding my stained glass mushrooms across Manhattan.
History of GoS
Game of Shrooms (GoS) is a worldwide art scavenger hunt held every June. Started by Daniel “Attaboy” Seifert in 2019 for everyone who loves mushrooms & art, it has grown every year with more and more artists joining in on the hunt. Anyone can hide art, anyone can hunt for art. You can hide art without hunting. You can hunt for art without hiding. There are no rules, except these rules.
I first learned about GoS in 2022 while I was living in San Francisco, right beside the founder in Oakland, CA. I didn’t have time to make anything when I heard about it that year, and unfortunately didn’t have any luck finding art when I went hunting.
In 2023, I hid art in a few spots around Salt Lake City. I hid a few disco mushrooms and some funky clay paintings, but I wasn’t super proud of my art last year and I’m not sure where most of them turned up since most of the people who found them never tagged me.
I had an amazing moment when an artist found one of my mushrooms while hiding her own. After she tagged me on Instagram, I used her hints to track down the art she had hidden. It turned into a very complex art swap, and I got an amazing reishi mushroom planter.
Her art was so much more impressive than my air dried clay painting she had found, I was determined to do something cooler in 2024. After spending the second half of 2023 learning how to create stained glass art, I hid 4 mushroom drops in 2024, and 5 unique mushroom pieces in 2025.
2026 will be my 3rd year hiding art in New York City, and this year I’m hiding more - and cooler - pieces than ever before.
Both years I’ve hidden art in NYC, I was blown away by the amount of participation during the event. People were messaging me when they couldn’t figure out my hints, sharing photos of their scored pieces, and each year more people have hidden art alongside me.
What to Hide
As long as it is waterproofed and you go back later to pick it up if no one takes it, you can hide any type of mushroom art you want! Wood carvings, paintings, resin art, crochet, anything goes. Just don’t forget to include a note that lets the finder know they are free to take the art and include your social media handles so they can let you know they found it.
One important aspect of Game of Shrooms is that you are supposed to create a one-of-a-kind piece just for the event, not something you make to sell in your shop or for a commission. I’ve kept it simple in the past so that I wouldn’t spend too much time making free artwork, but this year I wanted to give back in a bigger way. I made multiple large panels, plant stakes, sun catchers, and even a mirror to mix things up. I started right after GoS25 so that I could create around 1 piece each month and not get overwhelmed trying to make them all at the last minute.
Check out my art lineup for 2026 so far:
How to Hide Art
Stick to spots that are easy to reach but not too easy to spot. If you want your followers to have a chance to find your art, it needs to be a little tricky to find so the first person who passes doesn’t pick it up. If you don’t have any followers searching, make it a bit easier to spot to ensure it gets nabbed.
Plant art without hurting nature or property and avoid protected areas. If you can’t find a good hiding spot outdoors, try asking a small business if you can hide it in their shop - they might even help you.
Once you’ve hidden your art, snap a few photos to use for hints on social media. Try to include photos of nearby landmarks or buildings to help narrow down the hunt.
How to Hunt for Art 🍄
- Check out the map to see if artists are participating in your area.
- Click the artist link to follow them on social media.
- Check their page on June 8th for hints to the hiding spots.
- Important! Please let the artist know you found their work by tagging them or sending them a message.
- Be careful and pay attention to your surroundings. Game of Shrooms is an at-your-own-risk event.
If you’re going to be in Manhattan on June 13th, 2026, make sure you’re following me on Instagram @FunkyFractals for hints to find my mushroom drops and take home a seriously one-of-a-kind souvenir.