ABK ArtGames 2.0 Launch

Ask any member of Generation X how they learned about classical music and many will proudly say "through Bugs Bunny cartoons". The use of popular culture to engage children with contemporary and modern art and culture is a proven way to make a lasting connection through a language they understand. We had the opportunity to partner with the renowned Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY to put a 2015 spin on this concept with the release of ArtGames 2.0. ArtGames 2.0 includes a series of eight fun, addictive, and visually stunning video games that introduce elementary-age kids to famous artists and some of their best known masterpieces.

The games immerse players into different works of art by various artists from the Albright-Knox (AK) collection, different styles and movements, and other various artistic concepts all while having a fun gaming experience. To bring the ArtGames 2.0 app to life, our company collaborated with the International Center for Excellence in Animation at Daemen College, Empire Visual Effects, and input from some of the artists whose works served as inspiration for the games.

“Every once in a while, a project comes along that is challenging, artistic, exciting, and fun. ArtGames 2.0 is one of the best applications we have ever had the opportunity to develop,” Rob Spierenburg, our Managing Director said. “This project was a true collaboration between the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, All Things Media, Empire Visual Effects, and Damaen College. It has been a privilege to work with these partners to create such a groundbreaking game application; it is the kind of project that brings out the best in a company like ours.”

Artworks that inspired the games include Vincent van Gogh’s La Maison de la Crau (The Old Mill), Robert Delaunay’s Soleil, Tour, Aéroplane (Sun, Tower, Airplane), Vassily Kandinsky’s Fragment 2 for Composition VII, Piet Mondrian’s Composition No. 11, 1940-42—London, with Blue, Red, and Yellow, Jason Middlebrook’s Underlife, Jorge Pardo’s Untitled, Do Ho Suh’s Karma, and other various works of art by Clyfford Still, including one from AK’s famous abstract expressionist collection, 1957-D No. 1.

Check out ArtGames 2.0 on your iOS or Android phone or tablet! http://kids.albrightknox.org/