PRESS RELEASE: New Advisors To LEA: Linden Endowment of the Arts Grows With New Staff

[Ginette Pinazzo]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
02-20-12

New Advisors To LEA: Linden Endowment of the Arts Grows With New Staff

The Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) has appointed a series of four new advisors to assist in management, direction and project creation for its ongoing effort to foster awareness of artists’ contributions to the virtual world and encourage a greater, more dynamic arts community.
Amie Collingwood, Ginette Pinazzo, Kev Sweetwater and Rowan Derryth have joined the LEA team as part of a new initiative to include new perspectives and implement new concepts that further the Endowment's mission.

LEA is a collaborative venture between Linden Lab and the arts community, guided by a dedicated board of renowned Second Life artists. LEA is committed to empowering all aspects of the arts community in Second Life, through its exhibitions, programs, and events. The Linden Endowment for the Arts works to improve communication within the arts community, and increase awareness of that community to the greater population. Galleries, community organisations, curators, arts patrons and artists themselves, continue to benefit from many of the LEA's outreach endeavors.

The LEA's four new advisors:
Amie Collingwood is an accomplished large-scale exhibition producer and philanthropic gallery curator, with expertise in leadership development, and a strong believer in support and patronage of artists and the creative process. Amie's passion for the arts and her experience with positive movements translate into a meaningful match for the LEA's mission.

Ginette Pinazzo is a facilitator for some of SL's more vibrant organizations, producing large events and new programs for Adult SL, providing guidance for key marketing measures, creating foundational institutions that benefit various Women's organizations throughout SL, and working to attract and retain more creative content-producers to the virtual world experience. Her leadership philosophy of a loving and caring approach applied to business and community practices allows for a natural fit into LEA.

Kev Sweetwater is an artist and organiser for such major programs such as BURN and SL8B, and comes to the team with a strong belief in the importance of a leading arts program, " I think the LEA is the forefront of art development and support for the grid and probably all virtual worlds in that they are active in helping and assisting the community as a whole not just a small segment"

Rowan Derryth is an avid writer and curator, indispensable to many levels of the arts community. Whether as a machinima judge or arts blogger for Prim Perfect Blog and Magazines, Rowan brings sharp insight and fresh perspectives to her projects. Her energy and enthusiasm are a wonderful addition to the LEA cause.

Sasun Steinbeck, LEA committee member,  "I'm very excited to be expanding the LEA team with our new advisors, they are bringing some great new ideas and new perspectives to our group which is always welcome! I'm looking forward to working with them as they help us bring more LEA projects to life. Congratulations to all of them!"

[Remington Aries]

"The Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) has appointed a series of four new advisors to assist in management, direction and project creation for its ongoing effort to foster awareness of artists’ contributions to the virtual world and encourage a greater, more dynamic arts community." i am involved in LEA at the moment. It is a great experience. However, the entire front end of Second life, at log in and also the web now seems geared toward clubs and music venues. The clubs are already full of people without this blanket promotion. Fostering awareness of things other than virtual music clubs is worthy, can we have a more balanced outlook to the log in and web front? It takes a vast amount of man hours to create on Second Life, and a more even handed approach to all that Second Life has to offer would be appreciated. As an example, Anley Piers beautiful new art build is buried deep in an over crowded destination guide, while clubs who are full regardless, feature as places to go higher on the screen. Can we have a new refreshed look at the log in, and weed out the weaker destination guide entries? It is rapidly becoming a virtual phone directory.