Proposed Projects

I. A Timeline of Women Artists for A.I.R. Gallery http://www.airnyc.org

Project Mission: To build a self-seeding, perpetual, evolving timeline of contemporary women in the arts housed on the A.I.R. Gallery website.

Conceptual Framework: The format could be a single page that scrolls and grows horizontally. It can be a visual space with depth (Adobe Atmosphere), perhaps even abstract, visually exciting, user-friendly, user-expandable, and aesthetically compatible with the mission of A.I.R., - a good place to visit and find contemporary artists. It will be a hub for networking, always changing and defined by the users.

This living database without borders will serve as a reference for artists, historians, curators, and students. The components will be an exciting Atmosphere background design, clickable artists’ names, and with file size permitting, some sound.

Women artists in all media will be able to register with A.I.R. and add themselves to the Timeline from their computer. They will join the ever- expanding Timeline by entering their name, URL, email address, art medium, and location. Every name listed can also be a link, and the page will have graphic symbols to denote medium, etc. An inventory of symbols will be designed for various information designations. The design challenge will be to make it beautiful, download fast, easy to navigate and to register on the Timeline.

II. ART world on A.I.R.: A Global Network for Collaboration and Dialogue

Project Mission: To construct a virtual world for a global art community of 1000 women artists that will always be changing, and will be hosted on the A.I.R. website.

Conceptual Framework: A coordinator will be invited by A.I.R. in 100 cities around the world to select 10 women artists in her area to represent the city. Each global art group of 10 will have “ a room of her own“ in the ART world on A.I.R. The world will be created in Adobe Atmosphere as well as other appropriate software programs to facilitate the interaction among the artists and groups. These can be collaborations, experiments with new art forms, forums, exhibits, libraries & special collections, a visiting artist registry, and more. There will be need for avatars, costumes, and a very creative architectural form that will be challenging to conceptualize artistically and technically. The result will be an ever-changing art community without regional boundaries. The work and activities in the ART world on A.I.R. will be on view live at A.I.R. Gallery.

History: A.I.R. Gallery is the first art gallery in America established to provide visibility for the work of women artists. Founded by 20 women artists in New York in 1972 as a non-profit arts organization, it is still a role model for women and all artists who want to create their own infrastructure for their work. The Timeline and the ART world on A.I.R. projects are modeled on the principles that have made A.I.R. a viable art and culture organization heading into its 31^st year.

Resources: We have a server, a Webmaster designing for us with cold fusion, a limitless inventory of images, artists with imagination, a history & track record for innovation, and a mission to support the work of women artists in the global community.

Disclaimer: Warning: this project may be hazardous to your health. In other words, you may never be the same if you work on these issues.

Because it is hard to make a living as a professional artist in our society, artists have always created their environment and lifestyle out of whatever is at hand. For example, artists revitalized the once abandoned urban landscape of lofts and downtown commercial spaces. It has since turned into prime real estate and become unaffordable for young contemporary artists who need a new community to showcase their work.

Creative people are attracted to unexplored territory, and digital space is the next frontier. At this juncture, when many commercial endeavors on the net are being abandoned, there is room once more to create something new. Collaboration, communication, and exchange between creative people in arts and technology will result in new virtual worlds to showcase products and ideas. This community, in turn, may revitalize the net by creating new models and uses for this medium.

III. Collaboration with fashion design students from the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC

Project Mission: to create an online exhibition arena where fashion design students and game/animation designers can show their ideas in a collaborative multi media portfolio, for the game and animation industry.

Conceptual Framework: Traditionally, F.I.T. students have excellent skills in fashion drawing and design, and understand product development for a particular market and customer in the garment industry.

Some of our students would prefer to design clothing for animated characters in games and virtual worlds. They are creative, dramatic, and imaginative, understand popular culture, and can bring their ideas from a clothing perspective to character development.

They have basic computer and technical skills and would be good in a team working on an animation or game by expressing the character through a memorable wardrobe.

As the computer game matures, women and girls are a growing audience for games. Character development and role-playing will be different for this market, and fashion can play an important role in advancing games aesthetically, technically and commercially.