Millions of Virtual Artists

Is virtual art still art if it’s not really real? It’s a question that Millions of Us, a digital agency specializing in virtual worlds, isn’t worried about. Instead, the agency has launched its own artist-in-residence program to “discover and celebrate” the work of artists in the virtual world and social networking space.

The first artist recognized by the program is U.K. based Rob Wright, aka “Robbie Dingo,” who made a splash in the Second Life virtual world with a short film interpretation of Van Gogh’s “Starry Nights.” His first project in conjunction with Millions of Us is a film adaptation of electronic music artist Kirsty Hawkshaw’s song “Meteors,” seen at left.

Of course, it’s not as though Millions of Us is giving Wright, or any other artists the company plans to sponsor over the coming year, any funding for the virtual art. Instead, Millions of Us will provide “technical resources” and informal collaboration to the artists from its staff. Still, it’s nice to see companies supporting the arts, even if it’s virtual support.