Schedule
March 16 - 18
various times
Game Fest >> Get Tickets
Join us for a three day festival celebrating the opening of the ground-breaking exhibition, The Evolution of Video Games, with insightful talks by video game pioneers, panel discussions where you can meet designers and artists, movie screenings, costume photo-ops, and hands-on play.
April 24
3 pm
Gamer Symphony
University of Maryland’s Gamer Symphony Orchestra is the first collegiate ensemble of more than 120 instrumentalists and singers exclusively devoted to performing orchestral arrangements of video game music.
May 4
1 - 5 pm
Beyond Play: Video Games at Work
1 - 2:30 pm -- Video Games at Work
An in-depth look at how video games are revolutionizing areas such as health care, education, civics, journalism, and national defense. Panelists include Ben Sawyer, Asi Burak, Russell Shilling, Brian Crecente, James Paul Gee, and moderator Constance Steinkuehler Squire.
3 - 4:30 pm -- Game Change: Society and Culture
A discussion of how video games impact our society and culture, including the fields of academic research, science, art, and education. Panelists include Mary Flanagan, Eric Zimmerman, Richard Lemarchand, Tracy Fullerton and moderator Colleen Macklin.
May 5
4 pm
21st Century Consort >> Get Tickets
The Evolution of Video Games is one of the first exhibitions to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium. The Consort explores this new realm through works by Peter Buffett, Laura Karpman, and Paul Schoenfield, among others.
June 26
6 - 7 pm
Curator’s Quest >> Get Tickets
Walk through The Evolution of Video Games exhibition with curator Chris Melissinos. Get an in-gallery perspective and play time, too!
June 27
6 - 7 pm
The Gamer and the Video Game
Join The Evolution of Video Games curator Chris Melissinos, as he discusses this groundbreaking exhibition. Melissinos will explore the forty years of video game evolution as a new art form and describe the development of The Evolution of Video Games from idea to installation and beyond.
July 26
5:30 - 6:30 pm
Building The Exhibit >> Get Tickets
Exhibition designer David Gleeson and media specialist Michael Mansfield share the challenges they faced in creating the design for The Evolution of Video Games exhibition.
August 7
6 - 7 pm
Curator’s Quest >> Get Tickets
Walk through The Evolution of Video Games exhibition with curator Chris Melissinos. Get an in-gallery perspective and play time, too!
August 18
1 - 5 pm
Playing Pong in 2100: How to Preserve Old Video Games
This half-day program features two panel conversations focused on how to conserve and preserve digital media, specifically video games, in a world of constantly evolving technologies. Industry leaders J. P. Dyson, Strong Museum of Play; Chris Grant, Vox Media; Jon Gibson, iam8bit; Dave Gibson, Library of Congress; and Rachel Donahue, University of Maryland join the museum’s media specialist Michael Mansfield and chief conservator, Tiarna Doherty and guest curator Chris Melissinos for the discussion. This talk is relevant to conservators, collectors, and gamers alike.
August 21
6 - 7 pm
Building The Exhibit >> Get Tickets
Exhibition designer David Gleeson and media specialist Michael Mansfield share the challenges they faced in creating the design for The Evolution of Video Games exhibition.
September 6
6 - 7 pm
Pixels and Painting
Artist Kristoffer Zetterstrand talks about how computer games have influenced his painting and will describe his process, from sketching virtual still-lifes using game engines, landscape generators, and 3-D software to the finished painting. He will also tell how his pictures inspired by pixel art ended up in the game Minecraft.
September 8
11:30 am - 5 pm
GameFest 2.0
Reboot your system and come play with us before The Evolution of Video Games closes. Test your skills with a new live-action game from Spontaneous Art, or challenge a buddy to onscreen video games. Craft activities, scavenger hunts, and music will keep you moving all day, from one level to the next!
September 18
6:30 - 7:30 pm
From Botticelli’s Venus to Super Mario: The Evolution of Art History and Future of Video Games
Author and artist/game designer Chris Solarski will demonstrate gaming’s limitless potential to produce emotional experiences that rival the traditional arts and engage players in meaningful new ways. Book signing to follow. This talk is supported by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.