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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#242: Fine Art

Museums are magical places. There’s something so special about admiring art in sacred, silent spaces, together with complete strangers. In museums, time is suspended; you can forget about the outside world and lose yourself in the paintings, sculptures, and other artwork around you.

This week, let’s write some stories inspired by art and museums. Think about some of your favorite galleries, or consider creating a brand-new museum the world has yet to see. Let your imagination run wild, and maybe even try writing in a new genre. For this contest, the sky’s the limit!

This week's prompts

Write about a gallery whose paintings come alive at night.

Fantasy – 66 stories

Write about someone who accidentally destroys a museum’s most valuable artifact.

Funny – 31 stories

Write about an art thief who is struggling to commit the perfect heist.

Adventure – 31 stories

Write about two characters who meet and/or fall in love in a museum.

Romance – 98 stories

Start or end your story with a character who gets trapped inside a museum overnight.

Thriller and Suspense – 38 stories

Stories

“See me” by Timothy Motley

Submitted to Contest #242

“I just wanted you to see me,” said Zach into his phone's camera. Tonight had not gone as planned. In truth, nothing in Zach’s life had ever gone as planned. His life was a never ending loop of attempts and failures. A vicious, cruel cycle that tore off piece after piece until it vomited out an egoless sack of nothingness. At the very least that cycle was going to end tonight. It wasn’t the ending that Zach had ever hoped for, but it was the one he was going to get. That was for sure, that was the only thing that was for sure now. All he cou...

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“The Language of Love” by Jr Wolfgang

Submitted to Contest #242

JR Wolfgang was not always an enthusiast of art. The interest sparked after the trial. JR was what one would consider to be a lost man; like most people in this world. The one difference between JR and most people was that JR could not accept this concept. JR could not stay lost. He spent a long time running from the feeling in any way he could. Escaping by means of any sort, substances being a major one. Through this toxic remedy he only wandered into a land of nearly no return. He only walked deeper into the woods. By the time he finally d...

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“Abstract Concepts” by Aeryn Goodspeed

Submitted to Contest #242

Figarro wrinkled his nose, the scraggly whiskers threatening to poke him in his droopy orange eyes. His tail twitched as his vision wandered over the canvas. A moment passed, and he gave a derisive sniff, shaking his head.“Nope. Can’t see it.”Standing beside him, the half-Ortuxan ran his hands through his hair, giving a disgruntled groan. “You’re not supposed to see it, Fig,” Daybreak said. “It’s an interpretation, not a depiction. One would think a gib so interested in abstract concepts would be interested in abstract art.”“This one a’ your...

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“In Their Bones” by Mary Black

Submitted to Contest #242

Afterwards, Ned and Alice recalled the details of those encounters in the entrance hall of London’s Natural History Museum: what was said, what was seen, and what shadows were thrown by the gigantic dinosaur skeleton that loomed over everything. Studying ancient life allowed them to understand how an epoch had ended. They were relieved to say goodbye to those old bones, and to move on. 1. As Nick took a step back, the stranger bumped into him. They faced each other below Dippy the Diplodocus, the dinosaur’s vertebrae curv...

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“Elephants and Goats” by Nancy Batty

Submitted to Contest #242

When they first met, she had been studying a bas-relief in the southwest corner of the quincunx at Angkor Wat. At a certain point, she realized that someone was studying her just as intently. Argh, she thought to herself. Not another tourist who was going to ask her to explain the carvings. Funny how American tourists, in particular, assumed she was Cambodian in Cambodia, as they had assumed she was Chinese in Taiwan: her appearance seemed to evoke an indeterminate Asian archetype. Never mind that she was of Vietnamese, French, and Dutch de...

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“Solitary Spaces” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #242

Everywhere and all around, the museum was a haven of classical decadence, the rich tapestry of archaic memories preserved in all their abundant physicality, polished and gleaming. Luxurious statues, ruddy parchments, imposing tablets, intricately graven marble pillars. In every direction, a wealth of enduring relics were held in stasis behind crystal clear glass, telling stories of long forgotten times.Jack loved spending hours in the museum, and would come nearly every day, with a thermos of crisp, malty oolong tea, simply to sit ...

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“Alone” by Chris Maroney

Submitted to Contest #242

“The smell of hamburgers cooking on a grill while hanging out with friends on the 4th of July”.“Yeah?”“Yeah… I don’t know why I thought of that. It’s just been a really long time since I’ve been invited by anyone to do that”.“I’m sorry. That sucks. For me, I would say leaves on trees in Autumn.” Brian sighed as he rested his hands on top of his waist that bulged out whenever he sat down. “Man, I feel so bad for you. I feel like my issues are all me. I gained weight. I stopped socializing, that’s on me.&nbs...

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“Longing Heart” by Caity G

Submitted to Contest #242

Have you ever felt like the painting on the wall above your grandmother's fireplace is watching you? Or like the sculptor of that marble statue in the museum managed to make marble look a little too life-like? Well, there's a chance you might be right. Sometimes it really is just your imagination. Not every painting or sculpture or piece of art is alive. Landscapes aren't, for one. The still-life you painted in high school isn't alive. Not every piece of art that depicts a person is, either. Only some of us, the ones that our artists re...

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“The Kiss” by Marion Cohen

Submitted to Contest #242

THE KISS When Izzy Lavigne was visiting the town of New Hope, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, she had hoped to locate a piece of art for the apartment she was planning to acquire in the not too distant future. Izzy had recently launched her career as a high school French teacher, and even though she had a wonderful relationship with her parents, she yearned to be out on her own. She envisioned finding an apartment during the summer months after the academic year ended. &nbs...

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“Pentimento” by Ben Gartner

Submitted to Contest #242

Noah Jameson tucks in his shirt, unrolls the bottom of his pant leg (he has biked to the museum), and smooths back his dark hair. He is late. Only eight minutes, but he prides himself on being early, usually. And for a blind date, too. Oops, not a great start.He rushes up the wide stone stairs, past the three-story tall banners advertising the new exhibition on Van Gogh, and into the massive entryway. The museum is free, like all of them on the National Mall in D.C., but he still has to pass the security checkpoints. Just last week someone s...

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“Wildcat” by Marlyse Goodroad

Submitted to Contest #242

For the third time, Dad nearly tripped over me as he moved down the display. He was reading something and not looking at me, which was fine, because I wasn’t looking at him either. I was on my phone, checking to see if Damion West had been spotted on campus yet. I wasn’t planning to seek him out and stage a run-in, but I wasn’t going to not try to run into him if I could.“Luna, are you okay?” Dad asked as he moved his foot off of mine. “Sorry. I wasn’t watching.”“It’s fine. I wasn’t either.”“If you’re really that bored,” Dad said, “we can le...

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“Possibilities ” by Madelyn Fried

Submitted to Contest #242

I never understood what people saw in modern art. I hated art museums as a kid. My parents would bring my brother and I to lots of museums, them being artists themselves. We would walk around, having deep conversations about every piece of art that we saw. My brother would get really into. He would quote Kierkegaard and Locke, as if it was a game to him. For me, these epiphanies, concepts, never came. All I saw was what it was. A starving artist doing their best to get by. My least favorite museums were modern art museums. At lea...

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“Metropolitan Museum of Art: A Met-cute story” by Jessica George

Submitted to Contest #242

I saw him from the corner of my eye, cloaked behind the flurry of hair flying in front of my face. I was running- fast, and hadn’t anticipated how the speed of my flight would affect my hair. I should have known. It didn’t play nice even under the best of circumstances, and these were decidedly not the best circumstances. My bag thumped against my thin tank top, intensifying the dampness seeping across the small of my back. Normally, I’d be grateful for a reprieve from the tyrannical sun, but the central air of the Met was cranked high...

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“It Only Takes One Painting” by Daisy L

Submitted to Contest #242

Claire stood in front of the massive building spanning before her. She took in the white walls, tall structures, and heavy wood doors, her eyes catching on the sign hanging above them: “Glendale’s Art History Museum”. She’d come prepared this time. In her tote bag were her smaller sketchbook and a selection of her favourite pencils, as media other than graphite weren’t allowed. After having her ticket scanned and leaving her coat in the deposit lockers, she strode up the stairs to the first floor where the gallery paintings were displayed. S...

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“In every life after ” by Alexis Aebi

Submitted to Contest #242

There was a small town museum right off the highway that regularly gets disregarded by the people that pass by everyday. It’s a simple building that vanishes into the background of the mediocre downtown. Inside you’ll find a wide variety of unique and beautiful items. Canvas that have been decorated with acrylic and oil to depict a picture. Wood, bone, and rock that has been carved into sculptures, tools, and weapons. Leather and textile carefully stitched together to provide covering for people and their belongings. No matter the...

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$250

Prize money

264

Contest entries

118

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 22, 2024 EST

Won by Niamh O'Dea 🏆

Title: Do Not Touch

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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