The Smithsonian American Art Museum is featuring an exhibition entitled The Art of Video Games which is set to run from March 16, 2012 through September 30, 2012. The exhibit takes a look at the 40‐year evolution of video games from an artistic standpoint and focuses on the use of visual effects, the creative use of new technologies, and important artists and designers in the gaming field. The selected eighty games that make up the exhibit are the result of online voting that was opened to the public from last February through April.
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar was a nominee in the SEGA Master System category, and a fabric map from 1985 created by the Ultima Team at Bioware Mythic, Electronic Arts was prepared as part of the exhibit. Exhibit preparation for the map required careful stitching in order to mount the map (see all photos from the exhibit preparation on Flickr). A conservation technician mounted the map from Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar to an archival board for display in the exhibition. She used minimal threads to attach fabric to the map so that it could be mounted without use of adhesives or glue, which would stain the textile.
