Colleges Partner with EA for Art Shows

Electronic Arts and universities inspire artists with The Sims.

Electronic Arts, the developer and publisher behind The Sims franchise, and partners Parsons the New School for Design, Academy of Art University and Otis College of Art and Design have teamed up to host art exhibitions featuring creations inspired by The Sims and built with The Sims 2 Movie Making Tool. Artists will be creating machinima, paintings, clothing designs, films, sculptures and various other artistic interpretations of The Sims for the "Hands of Artists" programs. Contest winners can win a combined $12,000 from sponsors Electronic Arts and Ford Motor Company.

Nancy Smith, general manager of the Sims series, discussed the partnerships with Gamasutra. "We've seen fans make everything from their dream home, to story-driven movies using The Sims as their medium. Putting a creative tool like The Sims in the hands of emerging artists opens up a whole new world of possibilities-we can't wait to see what the students come up with."

Contest details are available from the Sims 2 website.