Linden Lab Opens Second Life Sandbox for Artists [SLANE]

Linden Lab's arts outreach program Linden Endowment for the Arts (or LEA) has opened a Second Life sandbox for metaverse artists to show off their works in a "self-curating gallery area". Oberon Onmura of Second Life Arts & Entertainment (or SLANE) has the details below, and talks about why it's a boon for artists like Nebulosis Severine - her "Skin Hunger" depicted here. Click to read more! - Hamlet

LEA (Linden Endowment for the Arts) Arts Sandbox (Second Life) Location SLURL: Click here to teleport.

Linden Lab has done something really good! They have set up a 9-sim region and dedicated it for the use of Second Life artists. According to the wiki, the sims are to be used in three ways: a general sandbox area, a "self-curating gallery area" for somewhat longer lasting displays by single artists, and a "building resources area" with freebies, classes and other goodies of use to artists working in this virtual environment. It has been open for less than two weeks, and only the sandbox area is active so far. But this is an exciting development for artists in SL. And, in a very tangible sense, a validation of the critical role artists have traditionally played in making this world a place worth living.

I have spent some time at the sandbox since its opening and, so far, I'm happy to report that there's a large, genial gathering of artists, many of whom are new to me, placing work all over the place for everyone to see. In fact, after each Friday's "clean out", it takes two or three days maximum for the space to fill up again with an entirely new batch of art. There is no curation, no reserved spots - artists simply rez their work wherever there's space. The administrators (Solo Mornington, PatriciaAnne Daviau, Sasun Steinbeck) are friendly and helpful. Lag can be an issue, of course, and the administrators will return a piece that they suspect is a culprit, or that otherwise goes foul of the rules (see wiki link above).

Solo Mornington, one of the administrators of the project, at the LEA Art Sandbox.

Generally, though, this is a welcoming place that promises to create a new and large artist community. There are, of course, existing artist communities, like Artropolis, Caerleon, Artnation (soon to lose its sim), and others. But these (Artnation excluded) are member oriented groups, only rarely inviting new artists to join their ranks. With the demise of Artnation, having a new open arts space fills a critical void, and promises to bring together artists who up to now have had little or no interaction.

An impromptu artist gathering at the LEA Arts Sandbox. An interesting discussion took place.

Do I sound excited? I am! Color me skeptical about "arts endowments" and corporate largesse, but this development makes me feel, as an artist, that my work in SL (and of course the work of all artists) has value to those in charge. It may seem like a small thing, but so often in life it's the gestures that count, because we sense the true meaning behind the gesture.

So, if you're an artist and haven't visited the LEA sandbox yet, please do! And leave your newest and best thing there for everyone to see. I can't wait to see it.

   Oberon Onmura is an artist in Second Life and part of the SLANE team writing about arts                   & other culture-related things in virtual worlds.

Comments

[John Lopez]

My favorite thing about SL has been the creative art community that sprang up to exploit the new medium.

From something as simple as being able to place traditional paintings in the context of a 3D gallery up to amazing works such as the long gone Virtual Starry Night, it was a big part of my reason for logging in.

Perhaps this is an attempt to shore that community up in the face of massive shutdowns of art gallery sims. It has some promise in that the biggest reason I spend so little time in a gallery over time is that most galleries becomes static instead of rotating their displays with new artists and works (although my favorite galleries avoid that trap enough that I still drop by once a week).

[Stone Semyorka]

This is great! I take it as a sign that Linden Lab wants to reverse the flow of bad news about esthetically-attractive sims disappearing and keep some places under LL control where new residents can go for cultural expression and consumption. Devoting nine sims is a great investment in SL resident life. I hope LL will consider similar pubic installations to preserve and expand other popular culture forms in Second Life.

[Kelindra Talamasca]

At last someplace for my art that doesn't fit other places, its worth a look at least. I do not have much but I like creations to be seen