LEA3, A Gateway in Progress

Detail from Garden of Earthly Delight, a Work in Progress by Tomm Pye (general)

Encompassing 29 sims, LEA can be overwhelming to visitors. Knowing what's available in an ever changing landscape of immersive art, machinima, performance, etc., is not an easy task.

With that in mind we started the LEA Volunteer Team whose purpose is to support and develop the visitor experience.

LEA3 Welcome Area (general)

We've begun repurposing LEA3 as a Gateway to the remainder of the sims. The area now hosts a map with tp links to all 29 regions, an event board, information notecards (which are being translated into as many languages as we can), giant posters which appear when Artists officially open their exhibits, and art.

Volunteers staff the Welcome Area as often as their schedules permit, but they also work to support artists by publicizing their efforts, attending openings and events, giving tours to groups which request them, and soon will be working with the Photo Hunt team (more on that to come).

The Welcome Area is surrounded by a "park" full of examples of inworld art by a variety of creators. The displays will change, as will the Welcome Area itself as we learn what works and what's needed. This is an evolutionary process. :)

LEA3 Welcome Area (general)

The Team now has 43 enthusiastic Volunteers and you're invited to join - just contact Honour McMillan inworld. I do training and orientation every month.

Whether you're interested in becoming one of the Team or not, when you're looking for a starting point to explore 29 regions of art, come to LEA3. The Gateway doors are open!

Designing Worlds recently did an episode on the Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) and the Volunteer Team. They've included background on the impetus behind the donation of these sims, and do interviews with three of the current Artists in Residence showing their installations. Thank you to AviewTV.com for allowing me to share the video, it's well worth watching.