In a serendipitous encounter over a decade ago, Travess Smalley, an assistant print media professor at the University of Rhode Island, discovered the captivating digital universe of Minecraft while observing a child immersed in the game at a curator’s home during an international art exhibition. The experience sparked a profound realization for Smalley, who began to draw parallels between the game’s block-building mechanics and the creative processes inherent in his own artistic practice.
“When you’re working with blocks, or kits of parts, you have these units that can be combined in many ways to make new things,” Smalley explained. “We all have the same paint palette, but we make different paintings.” This moment ignited his exploration of generative play, leading him to appreciate the unpredictable outcomes that arise from both gameplay and studio practice.
As the best-selling video game of all time, Minecraft has become an unexpected canvas for Smalley’s artistic expressions, with his unique creations seamlessly integrated into its blocky landscapes. The game, which has sold over 350 million copies globally, serves as a testament to Smalley’s research into creativity and gameplay, highlighting how players engage in creative processes even when they are not consciously aware of it.
“Whether it’s people figuring out how to bring in agentic artificial intelligence into video games or those who transform games into oil paintings, we examine all the ways creativity manifests,” he said. “You can create art and be inventive within games, and also use games as tools to produce artworks that exist outside of them.”
Generative Art and Chance
Smalley employs a “chance flower” program to generate his art, utilizing code he has crafted to create landscapes in Photoshop. “Every piece is unique,” he noted. “Just like in Minecraft, where each world is procedurally generated, my scripts allow for both structure and randomness.”
His artistic journey took a significant turn during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was awarded a residency at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Canada, where he received funding to develop work on a dedicated Minecraft server. His proposal revolved around “concrete poetry,” reimagining the game as a medium for literary expression. This endeavor culminated in a digital world where the original textures of grass, stone, and dirt were replaced with text, transforming Minecraft into an expansive poem.
Over the past five years, Smalley’s work within Minecraft has inspired him to create “pixel rugs,” generative digital artworks that have been translated into hand-woven wool rugs. These designs echo the aesthetics found within the game, further blurring the lines between digital and physical art. His contributions were recently highlighted during the annual “Minecraft Live” event, showcasing artists inspired by the game, including a documentary streamed on YouTube.
Last summer, Smalley launched “CRAWL,” a video maze game featuring 512 distinct artworks that form intricate maps and passages, available through the online gallery Feral File. This project serves as both a gaming experience and a visual artwork, embodying the essence of exploration and creativity.
Looking ahead, Smalley plans to release a book titled “Pixel Rugs” in January 2026, showcasing digital versions of his pixel rug designs. One of his signature pieces has also garnered attention in Architectural Digest.
In the classroom, Smalley encourages his students to engage with Minecraft as a tool for artistic expression. One project allows students to use the game as a drawing medium, enabling their characters to create lines as they navigate the digital landscape. He challenges them to view their creativity as a muscle to be trained, promoting the idea that art can flourish in any environment.
“The goal is for students to feel fearless with new technologies as platforms for making art,” Smalley emphasized. “They shouldn’t feel limited by traditional materials; art can be made anywhere.”
