Artemisia: Living with Art

Artemisia Residents Exhibition 2009
Opening Event: June 18, 300 pm sl time
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Artemisia/176/109/26

Our wonderful curator, RobertSteven Smythe, is leaving his position at the Galerie due to rl obligations. This is his last opening as curator and the residents of Artemisia wish to publicly thank him for his excellent service over the last year. He has not only brought in landmark exhibitions by some of SL’s top artists, but he has also remained keenly aware that the Galerie would not exist but for the generous support of the residents of Artemisia.  His service to art and to us has been incalculable. He will be sorely missed. Here are his words about this new show:

The residents of Artemisia have long supported Galerie de la Vie. They are the embodiment of a true artists’ residential community in spirit and in what I truly believe is reality through a virtual existence. Artemisia – Living with Art.

As curator for the gallery the past several months I have come to understand that art and the exhibition is not about the number of people who attend the opening event or whether or not you have been selected by a blog to be “the show to see this week”, but the sustainability of the art to bring joy to those who see it over a long period of time. How many times did I as curator come back to look at the exhibit and notice something new and interesting that I had not noticed before—how often did visitors return to the same exhibit over and over again—and the best of all is when an exhibiting artist asks, “when can I exhibit again.” Art for the enjoyment of those who see it and appreciate it, the true meaning of what it meant to me as curator of Galerie de la Vie.

I have learned many things about SL from FreeWee Ling in my tenure here. One notable thing is to ask her early on when you have scripting questions or troubles. She took a chance on my inexperience and I was able, with the help of the residents and Free to bring Artemisia some very interesting and spectacular installations. We have had well known and not so well known artists exhibit in Galerie de la Vie in my tenure. It is now my pleasure to end my time at Artemisia and Galerie de la Vie with the Artemisians creative expressions. The people who have supported me and allowed me to take over a part of their community for the benefit of all SL art enthusiasts, I thank you. Please join me in presenting the Artemisia Residents Exhibition 2009 opening June 18 at 3:00 pm sl time.

Residents of Artemisia talk about what it means to live in this wonderful world that was created by Zephyre Zabelin:

Chinook Anatine:
Not being an artist, I am nevertheless continually challenged and inspired by the things I see as I walk about the environs that make up Artemisia. Be they large or small, simple or ornate, something is gently stirred to life inside me by what I chance to happen upon.It is an amazing waking dream where thoughts and whims can take flight and shape. That is my Artemisia.

Liddy Babenco:
I feel fortunate to have found a home here on beautiful Artemisia. Zephyre Zabelin, a RL artist, had created Artemisia for artists. When Zephyre left SL, FreeWee Ling was able to build on what Zephyre started. Since then I have found Artemisia to always be a place where an artist is free to create and exhibit. When there is time to play, there is always something to do – whether alone or with the great friends I have made here. For artists, art lovers, or builders there is no better place than Artemisia!

Allister Philbin:
I roamed SL for two years. No where that I visited is better than right here in Artemisia. Always something to do – from the bottom of the Bay to the concerts in the Treehouse. Interesting people living here, visitng the Galerie here. Room to build your dreams. Good friends. What more could you want?

Bittitee Benigni:
Artemisia has become a beautiful sanctuary and chrysalis. In its serene beauty I can reflect on my direction, find new paths and renew my confidence and strength. When I listen, truly listen, I can experience the gifts of learning, growth and meaningful change.Here I can safely struggle to move toward new heights, to learn to keep my heart open to see with those eyes the excitement and refreshed wonder that gives me full feelings of beauty and love. It is here that we can savor the sweetness of beauty by inspiring others, through devotion, to think, to feel, to believe, to hope, to live their lives in Art.

Mace Hawks:
I have lived in many places during my time here in SL. Under a dock, neath a waterfall, even on the tip of a mountain, but there is no place I have seen or lived in SL, that compares to this wonderful island. There are few places in either world where one can go to experience the finest in creative masterpieces and the simple pleasure of sitting in a field of flowers with a friend on a lazy afternoon, or wander into the tree house and be wooed by masterful musicians.

Artemisia was created by a wonderful woman named Zephyre. Her vision was to create an island in the midst of the ocean of commerce that is SL, where creative and talented artisans could live and produce their created ideas, and not have to worry about being a commodity of the land owner. This is one of the most wonderful things I have seen done in any world.

Today, sadly, Zep is gone from SL, but the dream lives on thanks to the wonderful guardianship of FreeWee Ling. She has taken the torch for Zep and continued to keep Artemisia from being a commercial venue.  So today, I wish to thank Zep and FreeWee for their ongoing contributions to the art world of SL and ask that if you see either of them that you thank them as well, for this gem we call Artemisia.

Eth Tedeschi & Zylina Straaf:
Coming to Artemisia has placed us amongst a real and living community in which we already feel right at home. It’s a beautiful place to exist, and there is inspiration all around to create. Put simply, Artemisia makes us smile – whether enjoying a performance at the treehouse, relaxing at home or creating new art.

FreeWee Ling:
Zephyre gave me this amazing opportunity to live in a place that serves art. I once told her I believe that our highest purpose is to serve the muse. To live a life in service to the creative energy that is the foundation of all creation. Zep’s idea was just to give people a place and to watch what they did with it. She was always so awed by creative people. And sharing that awe is serving the muse. That’s what I have tried to do with Artemisia — Continue to give people opportunities to share the awe. I am so blessed to live among with these beautiful, supportive, and passionately creative individuals. I love you all.

The residents of Artemisia, home of Galerie de la Vie, invite new artists in SL to apply for a small gallery space on the island, free of charge. There are three or four such spaces available. Please contact FreeWee Ling for information.

Conditions

• • You must be a new artist who has not yet exhibited in a gallery in SL.
  • Your work can be from SL, rl, or both. 2D or 3D.
  • You and your work will be evaluated for potential to benefit from this program before an offer of space is made.
  • Total prims vary by site, but are pretty limited.
  • Spaces are temporary. You should expect to have it for no more than three months.
  • You should keep your gallery fresh and interesting. We expect to see you around occasionally. If we suspect it has been abandoned or you’ve lost interest in it, your items will be returned.
  • We will promote your openings or other events to our group lists if you wish.
  • Galleries may be vacated at any time without notice and for any reason at the discretion of the management. We will do everything possible to give reasonable notice if we need the space.
  • Explicit representations of sexual situations, violence, or BDSM are not appropriate for display in these galleries.

Application

Please contact FreeWee Ling to arrange an interview and to show your work.

Acknowledgement

Any promotion you do must acknowledge the residents of Artemisia, e.g.:

• • Presented by the residents of Artemisia: Living with Art.
  • Brought to you by the residents of Artemisia: Living with Art.
  • Supported in part by the residents of Artemisia: Living with Art.

On Bettina Tizzy’s NPIRL blog yesterday is a thoughtful and important article by Larry Johnson (aka Larry Pixel) of NMC about supporting art and artists in SL. This is in the aftermath of the closing or reduction of several sims at MNC devoted to art, as well as the announcement by Rez Semple of the closing of the Angel Dorei Museum. These have arguably been among the most important venues for art in SL and it’s a good time to reflect on these issues.

Larry noted, “NMC has reduced its hosting of artists from dozens to a very small number — and none of those we currently host have control over a full sim. That is a big departure from past practice.” Larry goes on to state “The reasons are largely *not* economic,” but are rather the result of the disparate interests between land owners and artists. Gallery owners are largely interested in making money in order to pay for their land. Land is required for the prims of which all SL art is made. (Imagine a time when only land owners could provide a painter with canvas.) Artists are also interested in making money, but without prims, nobody’s going to make anything. So the prim is the basic unit of value in SL.

Art in SL is ephemeral. Sim-wide installations are horribly expensive to maintain. The demand for prims is relentless in order to make new work, adding pressure to the need to remove good work to make room for others. The prim-based economy is brutal and may be among the greatest motivators to escape the confines of SL and have a true open sim world.

Larry goes on to say, “I’d love to sit down for coffee with some of the other large landowners who support the arts in SL. I bet we’d all share similar experiences; primarily that historically there has been little benefit that accrues to a sponsor from hosting an artist.”

I’m not a large land owner. I am an artist, a sim owner, and a gallery owner. Under the astute direction of retiring curator RobertSteven Smythe, the Galerie de la Vie has presented a wonderful series of shows over the last year highlighting the biggest names in SL art. The ones you know by their first names: Alizarin, Misprint, Elros, Glyph, Sunn, Gwen, etc. But since our gallery is not dependent on traffic or sales, we are able to take more risks. As we have now established a reputation for quality, my hope for with the next curator of the Galerie is to present shows by lesser known artists who can more benefit from an important show.

The concept of Artemesia, and especially the Galerie de la Vie, is about living with art. It’s a fundamentally different business model than I have seen elsewhere and I think developments across the SL art world have vindicated it. The idea is simple. The residents of Artemisia support the space with their rent as a part of having an interesting place to live and work. The curator gets to work with creative people and to present wonderful art. The artists get a beautiful venue to show their work. Everyone wins. No money changes hands. We ask no commissions and our exhibitors are welcome to sell their work if they want. We do not get involved in that.

Similarly, the Treehouse club at Artemisia presents select live music performances three nights a week. We provide the space, send notices to groups and post events to calendars, and provide an intimate venue like no other in SL. We do not pay our performers. They keep their tips and they generally do very well with them. More importantly for the artists, they play in a unique venue managed by people who care about them. The venue also gets good tips, which are generally used to improve facilities on the island, but are not required to keep it running.

If the Galerie and Treehouse closed, Artemisia would still be here. We provide these facilities for the love of art, not to generate revenues. But in so doing, we also create a community of art loving residents willing to support these activities.

In short, we have a collaborative relationship among our residents, curator, and exhibitors, all aimed at making something wonderful. The costs are not an issue as long as we can maintain a small community of happy residents who understand what a special place it is. In short, we DO get involved with our exhibiting artists and I am certain that most are very aware of the costs and value of having a place to present their work. All of our artists have been most appreciative of the opportunity. They DO mention the hosts of their exhibitions because we engage them to understand that their presence is made possible by our residents. If Larry and NMC think their exhibitors are unappreciative, perhaps that they have not sufficiently educated the artists about their mission.

“There is a huge need in SL for artists to acknowledge the symbiotic nature of their relationships with landowners, and they need to take the time to learn and appreciate the work patrons are doing. And they need to help those people succeed. I can’t point to a single example in SL that meets that standard.” Point to Artemisia and the Galerie de la Vie.

“I think learning how to nurture support for the virtual arts is a self-education project that SL artists need to undertake for their own good.” I agree. What are you doing to help them? Do you actively engage your artists? Give them a tour of NMC? Take time to explain what you’re about? Do you ask them to put the place in their picks? Have you engaged the artists in your community, or just handed them the keys to the sim? Are you coordinating class tours with some of those universities? I hear a lot of whining and finger pointing in this article. SL is about possibilities. It only happens if you make it happen. Perhaps the finger should be pointed inward.