Real World Artists, Virtual Spaces

On Wednesday, September 15, 2009, Second Life visual artist and artropolis co-founder Filthy Fluno and book artist and virtual world art critic Artworld Market addressed a packed room of 55 professors, students, and guests at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Speaking about art, the art marketplace, and the design possibilities of Second Life and Virtual Worlds, Fluno and Market described new directions in the creation and marketing of art, innovative learning experiments, global outreach through virtual museums and libraries, and the uses of virtual spaces for distance learning and community development. During the first hour, Filthy Fluno captured hearts and minds with a lively explanation of making art and capturing the flavor of the arts community in Second Life, before taking the audience to a live concert at artropolis [slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Artropolis/192/149/30 ] and holding their attention with Mr. Fluno's stunning dance skills. In answer to audience questions about the impact of the recession in Second Life, Mr. Fluno pointed out that major art sales and international gallery show schedulings had come about because of his presence in the virtual world. He reiterated that the opportunity to work with nonprofits in helping others, as well as many opportunities to provide affordable cultural events during the downturn was a benefit of virtual spaces.

Artworld Market then took the podium, showcasing more than 600 inworld galleries and discussing with the audience issues of promotion, creativity, and intellectual property. He visited Danycote Antonelli and explored the new stage of the Zero-G Skydancers, and met with Juris Amat, to discuss her group, VIPO - Virtual Intellectual Property Organization. Artworld also paid a visit to Stanford University's archives, where he showcased how digital archives could come to life in a virtual space.

Questions from the audience addressed addressed everything from inworld performances to the human condition in virtual space, and opened the door at University of the Arts for additional discussions on the use of virtual worlds as a platform. The event was sponsored by the University of the Arts Corzo Center for the Creative Economy.