minecraft: The exhibition
2019
- Curators: Brooks Peck, Jacob McMurray
- Exhibition Design: Scenografique
- Graphic Design: Rosie Alyea, Jordan Grant
- Fabrication: Mark Latz, Chris Moore, Nick Rempel, Nils Carlson, Mark Columbino, Joe Flood, Josh Powers, Tim Stackpole
- Interactives: Brad Purkey, June Elliott
- Films: Kevin Harvey
- Collections: Melinda Simms, Katherine Hughes, Stefanie Terasaki, Clete Wood
- Technology: Luke Brown, Brian Epps, Kirk Jamieson
- Curatorial Interns: Archie O’Dell, Eliza Thompson, Elizabeth Wiley
- Mob Statues and Biome Dioramas: Greg Aronowitz
- Scenic Painting: Laurie Le Clair, Rudy Schuepbach
- Lighting: GASlight Design
- Organized by: Museum of Pop Culture in collaboration with Mojang
Minecraft: The Exhibition explored the world’s most popular game as a platform for unlimited creative expression.
Synopsis:
More than an engaging adventure and exploration game, Minecraft is a platform for creative expression and community building. It began as a simple idea: a world made of blocks. Blocks of dirt, blocks of stone, blocks of wood, even blocks of water. In that world, players can build whatever they imagine by breaking and placing those blocks.
From these spartan elements emerge an infinity of creations, experiences, and stories. There’s no rigid path to follow, and players make the game whatever they want it to be. The open-ended nature appeals to a wide variety of play styles. Its simplified graphics are intentionally impressionistic, giving the imagination more room to flourish. The only rules in Minecraft are its physical laws.
A vibrant community of players and creators has arisen around Minecraft, busily coaching each other and sharing their creations and ideas. Some have taken to modifying the game, turning it into their own vision of what it can be. Minecraft is a game, yes, but also a toolkit for making art, film, and stories.
- Seattle Times: “Seattle’s MoPOP Builds Large Minecraft Exhibit, Marking the Hit Video Game’s 10th Anniversary”
- NPR: “MoPOP Exhibit Highlights Minecraft Creativity, From Zombie Pigmen to Educational Uses”
- King5: “Minecraft: The Exhibition Brings Gaming to the Real World at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture”
- Geekwire: “Inside MoPOP’s Minecraft: Fans of Hit Video Game Will Dig the Creepers, Crafting and More in Exhibition”
- Geek Dad: “Minecraft: The Exhibition Gets Its World Premiere at MoPOP”
- EdSurge: “World-Premiere Exhibit Explains Minecraft to the Most Challenging Audience: Parents”
- Seattle Refined: “MoPOP’s Minecraft Exhibition Celebrates Creativity Without Limits”
- Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle WA, Oct 19, 2019 - Apr 18, 2021
- Liberty Science Center, Jersey City NJ, Feb 18 - Sept 5, 2022
- The Children's Museum, Indianapolis IN, Mar 11 - Aug 6, 2023
- Northwest Museum of Art and Culture, Spokane WA, Sep 16 - Dec 31, 2023
Scope: exhibition curation