Last weekend, Logan-based art studio Jump the Moon held its first escape room art challenge and fundraiser.
The event came only a week and a half after a shift in management — founder Michael Bingham stepped away, and new Executive Director Candis Sorenson stepped up after just over a year of working part time.
Sorenson said the nonprofit studio aims to make art accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
“Anyone can make art, even if you can’t move your arms and legs," Sorenson said. "If, for some reason, we don't have the tool to meet your diverse ability, we will come up with what we can do to make it happen.”
Athena Madsen, the director of education and programs, put the escape room together after working on several similar projects with Stokes Nature Center, Cache Valley's nature education hub.
“I just have one of those brains that makes very strange connections between things," Madsen said. "It probably took between 40 and 50 hours to put the whole thing together.
In order to ensure the escape room stayed accessible, Madsen focused on a variety of ability levels and interests.
“I tried to gear the games to both adults and kids, so that everybody could participate in some way," Madsen said. "Have an easy part of each station, have a more difficult one, and then have something that might be really tough, that takes, you know, several brains to solve.”
After the high turnout this year, Madsen said the studio hopes to put on escape rooms annually.
“We will probably even do this same one, probably during the summer again, so that more people can experience this one, and then we can change bits and pieces for next year," Madsen said. "We'd like to make it an annual event.”
The studio is currently holding a calendar contest that is open to all ages. Submissions are due on May 11.
