Artist residencies are hard to come by. This is especially true for those who work in new media, or who live in remote geographic regions. The offering of space to work, let alone funding or an exhibition, is a rare gem coveted by working artists. Add to this context a lack of restraint, with regard to the physical mass of the artist's work, gravity, or a materials budget, and one would guess that they were in dreamland. Close enough... Ars Virtua is a nonprofit art space inside of the online 'massively multiplayer' game world of Second Life. They've recently put out a call for artists to apply for 11-week residencies that offer cash funding (not just Second Life's Linden dollars), virtual work space, and an exhibition within their increasingly popular gallery. According to this call, 'residents will be encouraged to explore, experiment with, and challenge traditional conventions of art making and distribution, value and the art market, artist and audience, space and place.' This experimentation is supported by Ars Virtua's own efforts to blur the boundary between synthetic, digital 3D spaces and the curatorial context associated with working in 'real' physical space. Artists of all backgrounds are encouraged to create a Second Life avatar and apply for the residencies before November 21st. - Angela Moreno
