The AIAS and ESA Celebrate Fine Art in Video Games

CALABASAS, Calif., May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the 2011 Into the Pixel (ITP), 17 works of video game art have been selected for this prestigious collection, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a game artist.  Now in its eighth year, the ITP – a collaboration between the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) – is the only juried art exhibition that brings together experts from the traditional fine art world and the interactive entertainment industry to display and discuss the art of the video game.  The 2011 Into the Pixel collection will be unveiled and presented at the annual E3 Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 7-9, 2011, in the Concourse Foyer.  

"Now that public institutions have accepted video games as a legitimate form of art, there is no question that video game art has and will continue to have a place in the contemporary art scene," said Martin Rae, president, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.  "The AIAS is pleased to partner with the ESA in this celebration, and is looking forward to continue pushing the recognition of our artist members' efforts."

"Into the Pixel is the industry's premier showcase for the art of computer and video games and celebration of the artists whose talent creates these stunning images," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers and the owner of the E3 Expo. "ESA is proud to partner with AIAS to facilitate this valuable intersection between the traditional and digital art worlds."

"Into the Pixel showcases the incredible creativity, skill and artistic talent that pervades in the video game industry," said Glenn Phillips, Senior Project Specialist & Consulting Curator, Department of Architecture and Contemporary Art, Getty Research Institute.  "You really see that there are great artists working across every genre of video games, and at every stage of the production process."

Into the Pixel 2011 Winners:

Into the Pixel 2011 Jurors:

• Glenn Phillips, Getty Research Institute, Senior Project Specialist & Consulting Curator, Department of Architecture and Contemporary Art
• Nora Dolan - Independent Curator
• Ryan Wilkerson, Microsoft Game Studios, Senior Art Director
• Matt Hall, Timbuk2 Studios, Senior Partner Production Designer
• Brian Moore, Microsoft Game Studios, Art Director

About Into The Pixel:

ITP has established itself as the one annual opportunity for computer and video game artists to receive critical review of their creative achievements by peers in the both digital interactive world and traditional fine art experts. The ITP collection has been on exhibit at GDC, South by Southwest, FMX in Stuttgart, Germany, the European Festival of Art in Nottingham, England, the Toronto International Film Festival, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and the D.I.C.E. Summit, among others. For more information on this year's Into the Pixel 2011 collection and previous collections, please visit www.intothepixel.com.  

SOURCE Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences