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William Hessian likes a good challenge, and the Minneapolis-based artist has spent his summer daring and double-daring residents of five American cities to challenge themselves to get out and encounter art.

Today, Hessian brings his interactive art "happening" to Salt Lake City - a miniature art treasure hunt - designed for searchers of all ages.

Hessian's event is part installation, part performance piece, part detective mystery, and part nature walk.

The artist, 26, has been searching for over two years for a name for what he does. Which is: hiding 10 teeny custom-made works of art - just 1-by-1 1/2 inches - in city parks around the country and doling out clues to art seekers until all the pieces are found.

Hessian, an art school graduate whose day job is painting custom motorcycles, believes the value of art shouldn't be determined in dollar figures.

"Art is treasure," Hessian said by phone this week as he was traveling to Salt Lake City from Costa Mesa, California. He likes the idea that anyone, from a kid on his bike to a park dweller without two cents in a pocket, would be able to find an artwork and own it.

Hessian's art hunts share similarities with the sport of geocaching, but don't involve technology more complicated than a inquisitive mind, a pair of sturdy walking shoes, and access to the Internet.

In each city, Hessian arrives and hides the ten new miniature artworks in public parks.

On day one - in this case, today in Salt Lake City - he posts close-up pictures of each work on his website and invites the public to begin the search.

On days two and three, he posts wider-angle photos of the works, and includes details to make the hunt easier. The photos begin to include more identifying details about a particular location in a particular park, such as a glimpse of a body of water or a set of well-known playground swings.

If a "hunter" is persistent and intuitive enough, once he or she finds one of the artworks, Hessian asks for an e-mail identifying the piece's details and where it was found.

At that point, Hessian invites people to come by and visit him (he gives out his coordinates) at another location where he is painting. Then he rewards those who find him with a signed limited edition print. "And they also get to keep the tiny picture that they've found," he said.

Syd Husseman, a local children's author and mother of two who is hosting Hessian during his Salt Lake stay, said she likes Hessian's idea of accessible original art. In fact, most of the art Husseman owns are very small pieces. "That's all I can really afford anyway," she laughed.

Russell Ruhland, of Lake Oswego, Ore., participated two weeks ago in Hessian's hunt in Portland and found one of the miniatures. He's keep his new art work - a tiny picture of a squirrel - on his rear-view mirror. "Here's this outsider who's never been to your town and who is inspiring you to go out to all of these parks and really look around," is how Ruhland described Hessian's project.

He was particularly interested to see so many families join the art hunt in Portland, even in the rain. "Artistry is a social interaction," Ruhland said. "That's great, especially in a place like this where you can't be outside for about 6 months of the year."

Hessian's tour in Salt Lake City ends on Sunday, once all of his custom-made miniatures have been found. In honor of local terrain, his Utah miniatures feature desert tortoises.

Best way to hunt

* Hessian invites art hunters to visit http://www.williamhessian.com and begin the hunt today.

* Get a list and maps of Salt Lake City's public parks. Typically, the artist chooses larger parks, but don't overlook the little ones.

* Artwork will be hidden in plain sight but you might have to "stand in a weird spot, lie down, or even climb a tree" to find it.

* And don't give up, he playfully added. Keep checking back online for more clues. After all: "Value is directly parallel to the effort you put into it," the artist said.