How Animal Crossing became an unlikely art haven during the pandemic

The latest installment of Animal Crossing was released on March 20, and it became an instant smash hit. Emilie Dujour, a PR and digital communications manager for the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA), played the game as a fan at first. SAMA, like almost every other art gallery in the U.S., shut its doors at the start of lockdown. In April, Animal Crossing added a new feature allowing players to open their own art gallery. “I asked my coworker, ‘Would you be interested in seeing if we could add some of the artwork from our collection'”. SAMA uploaded a few of its pieces into the game, which patrons can access by scanning a quick response code on the museum’s website. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is the largest art museum in the U.S., also dropped its own massive collection of work into the game. independent artists have also taken to the game to host their own shows, bringing their work into a totally new medium — and plenty of new fans