Aside from a shared love for contemporary art, Seattle’s geeks, connoisseurs and hipsters have one more thing in common; all could be found in force at October 6th's gallery showing of iconic pieces from the rich artistic traditions of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: the Gathering. The invitation-only event, in Seattle’s fashionable Belltown district, marked the official launch of the first-ever public sale of limited edition selections from the mammoth fantasy art archives of Wizards of the Coast. The event was held at Viveza, a gallery in the trendy neighborhood once recognized by Utne Reader as one of the 10 hippest in the country.

“For over 30 years the fantastical, otherworldly art of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: the Gathering has inspired the creative energies of millions,” said Laura Tommervik, Brand Manager for the Limited Edition Collection at Wizards of the Coast. “Our archives are filled with more than 15,000 pieces of completely original fantasy art commissioned for our games and novel lines during the last three decades. This limited sale of 10 iconic pieces is a first of its kind for Wizards.”

Earlier, this summer, the Seattle area hobby game giant announced its planned web-exclusive sale of archival-quality reproductions of 10 selections from the company’s archives. Each of the featured pieces is available in a limited print run of 250 artist-signed and numbered canvas prints and 1,000 artist-signed and serially numbered lithographs, with prices ranging from $49 to $329. The selections can now be purchased at wizards.com/artgallery starting October 10th.

For those who missed the gallery event, however, plenty more opportunities abound to quench the “inner geek.” Los Angeles plays host to the last stop in 2005 of the $3.5 million Magic Pro Tour. Scheduled for October 29-31, the Pro Tour is the height of competitive play in Magic: the Gathering. Also, November 5 marks the second annual “Worldwide D&D Game Day” with events scheduled nationwide.