Mountain West Conference on the Arts
Session:
Art Without Borders: Second Life & Immersive Social Networking
Speakers:
Lauren Lamonica, Producer, Millions of Us
Nettrice Gaskins, Computer Arts Academic Liaison, Massachusetts College of Art
George Schoemaker, Project Manager/Business Analyst, UAC
Web 2.0 has brought about an explosion of new interactivity and opportunities for those artists on the internet who are willing to break from traditional marketing channels. Sites drawing upon “shared intelligence and knowledge” like Wikipedia, social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, as well as video contributors to YouTube from all over the world have enabled the internet to become an immersive environment where new channels of discourse and interactivity are a reality. This session will introduce artists, teachers, and spectators to creative opportunities for performing, networking, and marketing art in virtual worlds.
In a unique collaboration between the Mountain West Conference on the Arts and the virtual world, this session will be streamed live into a venue in Second Life, the West of Ireland Library and Cultural Center. In world residents will be able to participate in the session, asking questions of the speakers in real time. The session will be conducted live twice.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Noon to 1:30 pm slt
2:15 - 3:30 pm slt
http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/174/26
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Speaker Bios
Lauren Lamonica
Producer, "Millions of Us"
Producer for Millions of Us, bringing real brands into virtual space. Previously the Online Marketing Manager for MTV Networks' GameTrailers.com and project manager for Linden Lab's (creator of Second Life) Marketing department. Graduated Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in Electronic & Time-based Media Art, focusing in video, virtual world and game development, and haptic interface design. Currently earning an MBA from San Francisco State University.
Nettrice Gaskins
Computer Arts Academic Liaison, Massachusetts College of Arts
Nettrice Gaskins received a BFA in Computer Graphics from Pratt Institute and an MFA in Art & Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As an artist she explores the intersection of art, technology and communities, as well as her heritage and the effects of capitalism unified into a common theme of identity, double-consciousness, and transcendence in virtual space. As Computer Arts Academic Liaison at MassArt she supports the use of digital technologies by students and faculty in all disciplines.
Her wealth of experience in education/training, leadership, and youth development enables her to work successfully with educational programs for underserved students. She is a recognized national leader in bridging the socio-economic gap between communities that have access to technology and those who do not.
George Schoemaker
Project Manager/Business Analyst, Utah Arts Council
During the dawning of the personal computer in 1981, George Schoemaker wrote his first college paper as a sophomore using the Bank Street Writer application on Apple IIC computer. From that moment George became enamored with technology and learned everything he could about this burgeoning field and its use in the arts and culture. Primarily trained in the arts and cultural studies, George holds an Masters Degree in Humanities and a Doctorate in Folklore and Cultural Studies from Indiana University. He has published widely on topics dealing with the politics of culture and the transformation of culture through the use of technology. George has been owner and performer in the band Stonecircle, a Salt Lake-based Celtic-fusion band that has released five CDs over the past fourteen years. He is currently a Business Analyst and Project Manager for the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.
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Second Life Venue
The West of Ireland Library and Cultural Center
http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/174/26
West of Ireland Library and Cultural Center is housed in a spectacular building that combines aspects of the ancient and modern, capturing a sense of the Celtic spirit. The Library hosts a changing series of displays and events including the areas of literature, poetry, art, history, folklore, and genealogy.
The West of Ireland promotes Irish and Celtic culture within Second Life, while raising funds for Project Children and providing an entertaining environment for guests. These estates are owned by the South Texas Celtic Music Association and are collectively a recognised 501(c)3 nonprofit organisation with both the US government and Linden Labs.
Project Children was started in 1975 as a way to bring Catholic and Protestant children from Northern Ireland together. At the time the organization was founded, Northern Ireland was strewn with political strife and violence. Denis Mulcahy and his brother Pat, originally from County Cork and then New York, took action and founded Project Children.
Each summer since its inception, Project Children has brought children that show promising futures to the United States to live with host families. These children get to know each other and see that there is little difference between them. They learn that they can live together even with their differences and not only that, but actually become friends.
So far Project Children has brought over 14,000 children from Northern Ireland to the United States for summer vacations with more than 600 children per year now participating. Your donation will help cover the cost of flights for these well deserving children.
At the West of Ireland, we host concerts, book discussions, poetry nights, DJ dances, theme parties, and other events as a means of raising donations for Project Children.
Webpages:
www.projectchildren.org
www.irelandsl.org