Petition against anti-democratic tendencies in the SL art scene

Petition to LL

To the company of Linden Lab / the coordinator for the arts in Second Life

We are a group of professional artists, art aficionados, photographers or educators who are active in SL.  We are writing because we deeply concerned about the future of SLEA.  LEA has been a valuable Linden Lab program in SL because it has promoted art in SL and made SL a better place. Currently decision making in SLEA is focused on one person rather than on a board as previously, and the arbitrary decisions are discouraging many artists from participating in the program.  Four examples of the negative impact on the current leadership structure of SLEA are provided below.

1. Quotation from the web-page of SLEA:
"Upon the initial review it was realized that a grading system was not necessary as each essay was clear, concise and very detailed and equally befitting of a grant."
(https://slendowmentforthearts.wordpress.com/2020/11/20/launch-1-slea-grant-award-recipients/)

Beside general doubts, that ALL essays have been of equal quality, which would be very unusual, how can this be decided by ONE person only? A grant decision has always to pass the view of a commission, which is consensus in a free democratic world and we should all work, that these rules are not undermined by self-appointed, autocratic persons.

2. The next quotation shows the autocratic tendency of the concerned person:
"It was at this point as Coordinator of SLEA, I made what I believe to be a very balanced, mindful decision."

Separate from the inappropriate self-praise, one group of 15 artists as an example got a „region“ (5000 prims) and not the full sim, they applied for, though they had explained, why they needed more prims; but others, who are a couple or even single persons got a full sim for a much longer time.
You can also see, that here one person alone has taken over the decision for a project, which concerns so many different interests. This is completely unacceptable and if the art community in Second Life will accept that and follow blindly, then it says much about the collective mental status and a tendency to fascism, that we really don't want to be a part of it anymore.

3. The recent SLEA-responsible Tansee Trillium tries insistently to degrade the former LEA-project and the artists, who got a grant there. According to our experience the committee members used a point system, inspected also external exhibitions or machinimas of the applicants and the summarized points were the basis for the decision and this is, how it has to be. We are against the degradation of the LEA committee members and the artists, who have contributed to the idea over years.

4. 19 SLEA applications are not many in a world with a huge amount of artistically interested persons from all over the world. LEA had on average around 38  and 25 regions to distribute. It means, that SLEA would have been enough space to fulfill everyone’s wish, what has not happened. Our question is, why did so few artists apply?

The current leadership structure with all the power in one person runs the risk of nepotism and abuse.  The signers to this petition are requesting that Linden Labs restore the prior board-based management structure providing a broader and more democratic leadership to SLEA so that more artists do not migrate out of SL to other virtual world platforms.  

Germany, 12.12.2020 Asmita Duranjaya / interstellART

signed by:
Kyoko (Samara Barzane)
Silas Merlin
Dodge Threebeards
Bluesrocker
Lena Kiopak
Fluer Heartsdale
Claude Belgar
Fuyuko Amano
Shenn Coleman
Ian Patton
Nima Benoir
Gee
Hannington Xeltentat
Asperix Asp
Brightly Shyne
DolphinDifference
Chuck Clip
Timo Dumpling
BrooklynHayworth
Kees Veranes
Lusus  Saule
Asperix Asp



and many more, who did not want to sign for a variety of reasons, but agreed to the content.