Pondering the Possibilities

Today I spent the afternoon strolling through the grounds of LVM in Second Life (SL). I'm getting better at maneuvering my avatar. I fly around enjoying the blue sea surrounding the museum’s grounds below. The quaint and serene landscape is designed to bring together curated Latino music, literary and art collections in an interactive, rich-media environment. Years ago I wouldn’t have thought this possible. I mean, a virtual Second Life museum where I can escape during my lunch break to listen to music and enjoy Latino artifacts in 3D? Times have certainly changed. Just a year ago I was learning to use other less interactive, web-based mediums, and now, thanks to an easy-to-use, downloadable application, I’m now an avid fan and regular at LVM.




One of the hallmarks of LVM is the development of social activities, such as readings, lectures and festivals. The museum not only exhibits Latino artifacts, but provides space and opportunities to develop communities of people with similar interests. For this reason I’m particularly drawn to the Sin Fronteras Café this afternoon where I sit quietly pondering the possibility of developing a series of poetry readings and workshops in-world. Set up like a café with tables, chairs, coffee bar and stage, the Sin Fronteras Café is designed to attract visitors to congregate and socialize. The environment is conducive for holding presentations, readings and musical acts. Last November El Paso artist and poet, Nancy Lorenza Green, held the first open-mic, poetry reading in the café while musician Jorge Guzman graced us with his accordion. The event was well attended by poets, artists and musicians from various parts of the country.

I invite you to ponder the possibilities with me. If you are an educator, artist, poet, writer, musician, student, or someone who is interested in developing a community of like minds, the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum is open to collaboration.

What do you think?