Avatrait and NBC.....Real World Exposure

On Monday, May 5th, Avatrait appeared on NBC local news in Chicago. My understanding is that other affiliates across the USA will be airing the piece as well.

I'm very happy about this because we have been working this past year on our goal of bringing the art and artists of SL to the real world....and that is happening:)

Back from a Blog Hiatus

I took a long break from the blog beat, but I'm back to share my thoughts.

It has been an amazing experience to work with the artists in Second Life. Not only are they brilliant in their imagery, they are wonderful people to know. I never could have imagined that I would get as involved with as many as I have, but I'm very pleased to have done so.

The new Avatrait site is slowly coming together and by the time it is completely redone, it will educate and display to the art loving world the unbelievable talent that resides in the virtual world of SL.

I want to thank all those who have worked with me, and I look forward to working with many more:)

It was just a matter of time

When you have a gallery, it's only a matter of time before someone lashes out at you for being " unfair". avatrait, is fast becoming the leader at promoting and showing some of the best artists in SL. This is a fact, not a theory.

It seems that someone who was asked to leave the Avatrait Gallery, has blogged about it and gotten their facts wrong. To put this all in perspective, Avatrait is about the sale of SL art. We go all the way from hiring experts to teach art classes, to developing a real life gallery that sells the work of the gallery artist. For the record, I don't " favor" any artist. I look at too many images every week, and receive too many requests for gallery inclusion to play favorites. The individual in question was simply not producing work that justified the personal and financial investment that the company was making on her. There is no " small group" of artists that Avatrait favors. If you enjoy making SL art, and you want to sell it, I'm interested in seeing what you have. To say that all artists are the same is rediculous, some are better than others, some are more marketable than others. I encourage artists when I see them trying to improve the quality of there work, and expanding the possibilities for their creations, nothing I would apologize for.

It's important to know that when I arrived in SL, I arrived as an admirer of SL art, not an artist. As I introduced myself around, some artists accused me of stealing their work without permission. In a word, I was not altogether welcomed with open arms. But I proved to those who questioned my ethics that they were wrong, and apologies came my way. I've had to work extremely hard to receive the trust and approval of the art community of SL. I have treated each artist with kindness and respect. My reputation, is of the highest order, and I earned that from the beginning, and I continue that path today.

But, like I said, it was just a matter of time till some success would find someone to misquote me, and slander me. It doesn't change how I feel as an ardent supporter of the art and artists of SL.

Who's Better, Me or You?

As I continue to evaluate images in SL, I come across emotional comments that suggest that art is truly subjective, and that no art is really better than anothers. I think what concerns me the most, is when some viewers attempt to hurt some of the artists with mean spirited comments. Given the uniqueness and freedom that SL allows and promotes, there really is no place for anyone to " put down" another persons art. I mean really, what gives you the right!?

With Avatrait , the goal is to " sell" the art. In the selection process to admit artists to the " Gallery"I have to be mindful of the marketability of each work. I'll grant you that is still subjective in the selection process, but I'm not going out of my way to put someone elses work down. And that is another reason why I encourage all artists of SL to join, as members, to our website. Because we are only about the work of SL, we look to celebrate, and not put down, all the artists and artworks of SL. We will be offering " live" inworld classes to help all artists to improve their work. and after all, who amongst us feels they know everything there is to know?

Sexuality in SL art, will it sell?

As many already know, sensual and sexual content in SL art is rampant. But my question is, will it sell to the mainstream art enthusiast? Several friends of mine in real life have looked over the art currently in the Avatrait Gallery and commented that it is mostly half ,or more, naked women in S&M type situations. Now I disagree with that breakdown, but it got me to think, is there too much flesh on display for the RL art market?

My response to this is yes and no. Yes there is probably too much on display currently, but no in light of the community of Second Life. For people to take this art form seriously, they will have to understand a little about the world from where it comes. Art is of course about freedom of expression, but the world of SL breaks all boundries of that expression. Most residents take advantage of the freedom to " live out" some of their fantasies that for various reasons would not come to resolution in RL. In this context, The art created inworld has largely to do with that very expression.

I believe over time, the art of SL will come to reflect many other facets of this " Second Life". It is one of my personal goals to give artists topics for which to work their art for. But then again, if you aspire to accept my premise that SL produces " living fantasy art" as I call it, you may find yourself more accepting of it in it's current form:)

Launching the Artists

The big challenge here is how to bring the artists into mainstream exposure. Well, starting in January of 2008, Avatraits " featured artist" chosen from the Gallery will receive the star treatment. Kimberly Mirabeau will have her work displayed at a reputable real world Gallery in January. In addition, the event will receive major press coverage featuring newspaper and/ or television coverage! The opening will also feature a live video feed to and from Second Life. Such a Gallery promotion is sure to create mainstream notice and sales. Avatrait will continue to explore it's connections in the art world to offer all artists who join our website an advantage to getting their work out into the art world.

The selected artists will be encouraged to make a " live" appearance, but for those who prefer annonimity, they can appear at their real world opening in avatar form.

Building the Business

The business of Avatrait can be hard sometimes. Hard choices, hard decisions.

When I started this company I was in love with almost every artist in Second Life. As I went through stream after stream, I was just amazed. I knew that the works had a special meaning to me, I wanted the mainstream to get to know the artists.

As much as Avatrait is about sharing SL art, it's even more so about selling the art. The Gallery is a work in progress. Virtual art moves a lot faster than other more traditional forms of art. As such, a grading system had to be put in place. In the plan to showcase the Gallery artists, a lot of money is invested, and even a lot more time. As my eye for virtual art improves, the standards for Gallery inclusion go up. I've recently had to release some of the artists from the gallery. It didn't feel good, and it wasn't fun. I have a responsibility to the artists and the customers, to maintain a Gallery of the superlative. At this point, I feel I've developed the " eye" for that which should be displayed, promoted and sold in the gallery. My wish is to have Avatrait.com not just be a showcase, but a place where all the artists of SL can learn and be shown the tools needed to bring every individuals art to it's highest form. That more than anything else, will be the best reward.