Avatrait brings the art of second life to global art event.

Press Release

Evanston, IL “ 10/16/2008“

AVATRAIT, the leading advocate of the emerging genre of "Digital
 Impressionist" art from the virtual world of Second Life, is excited
 to be a part of the Festival della Creativita  as well as being featured
 in the Rinascimento Virtuale exhibit focusing on the art of virtual worlds.

The Festival della Creativita, an international art event being staged
October 23-26, 2008 in Florence, Italy at the historic Fortessa da Basso,
and various satellite venues.  In its third staging, several hundred
thousand attendees are expected, all enjoying hundreds of events,
exhibitors, and the presentations of over a thousand artists and speakers.

The Rinascimento Virtuale exhibit is a gallery show focusing on the art
of virtual worlds, which will be featured at the Museum of Natural History
of Florence from October 21, 2008 through January 7, 2009.

Greg Houston (Track Hax in Second Life), the founder of Avatrait, will
be making a presentation during the Festival at the launch event for
Rinascimento Virtuale, detailing the growth of "Digital Impressionism",
how the Avatrait Gallery arose as the premier site for this emerging
genre within S.L., and how they have bridged the real and virtual worlds
by bringing this new art to a wider real-world audience.

Avatrait artists will be both represented by printed images in the show
and via a video production which will be a program element of the art fest.
All of the Avatrait art featured in Rinascimento Virtuale will be donated
for a charity benefit at the conclusion of the exhibit.  In another first,
a hardcover book, AVATRAIT: From Second Life® to Florence, is being
released the week of the Festival which will both detail the birth of this
exciting new genre and document the works of 47 of the Avatrait Gallery
artists.
Also being announced this week is the new Avatrait web site, which offers
its users free art uploads, social networking, and retail options.

The Avatrait Gallery is on the web at http://avatrait.com and in can be
found in Second Life at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Simuality/38/211/38.
The book, AVATRAIT: From Second Life® to Florence, is available for
direct order at http://avatraitbooks.com.