In September I visited an exhibition by JaiRus Bly entitled Fragments, hosted at the Centre for the Arts (see: An artist’s Fragments of life in Second Life). At the time, I had intended to return to the Centre to look at it in more detail. However, things being what they decided to be, it took me a little longer to hop back than originally planned – so here’s a catch-up.
Centre for the Arts is a non-profit creative destination dedicated to building bridges between worlds through the power of art. Explore inspiring visual art exhibitions, photography displays, and performances. Whether you’re an artist, photographer, or visitor, you’ll find a vibrant multidisciplinary art community where creativity, culture, and connection come together.
– From the Centre’s Destination Guide entry
Founded by Cesar Lighthouse, the Centre operates under his guidance and that of a skilled team. It comprises multiple gallery and other spaces, including:
- The Astrolab Gallery, located on the upper floor of the Centre’s main building.
- The Grid Gallery – which at the time of me most recent visit was hosting an exhibition of Monochrome SL images by Joanna Kitten (Joaannna) – a creator of avatar-centric images rich in narrative and content and of whom I’m a long-time admirer.
- The Waterstone Gallery (which was not hosting an exhibition during my visit).
- The Snapshot Gallery.
- The Photo contest Display area.
- The Scanena Apollinis Performing Arts Theatre.
The Landing Point is located in front of the Centre’s main building and forms something of a social space offering various table-top games, together with information on the centre and teleport boards to the various galleries and art display spaces (a couple of which can be reached directly on foot, and a café space.
The ground floor of the main building acts as an information and resource centre. As well as presenting information on the Centre for Arts and its philosophy and events, the ground level also provide a series of excellent guides to photographic techniques using physical world examples and easy-to-follow text guidance.
Reached via stars from this ground-level area, the Astrolab Gallery plays host to dedicated exhibitions. Again, at the time of my visit, the gallery was hosting Organic Dialogue, an utterly engaging portfolio of monochrome art (thus balancing Joanna’s exhibition at the Grid Gallery) by Leyo Noire.
However, Centre for the Arts is not simply about exhibiting art; it is about community, and this is demonstrated in a number of ways: through the reference guides to art and photography mentioned above (more of which in the form of a guide to drawing can be found at the Landing Point), and through the Centre’s Flickr community and the Snapshot Gallery, as well as the Centre’s monthly Photo Contests.
As the name suggests, the monthly Photo Contests are built around a named theme – for October, and unsurprisingly, this was Halloween and Masks. Each contest goes on display during the month after it opened for entries within the gardens to one side of the main building. So for example, the October 2026 contest will be open through November 2026, which will feature its own theme).
Contests are also both judged and voted upon – voting being open to the public and carrying L$ prizes for the three receiving the most votes + a prize awarded on the basis of originality, with the judging panel awarding 10 prizes, six of which are a mix of L$ and gift cards.
The Snapshot gallery – reached via the teleport boards – features 12 images each month selected from those submitted to the Centre’s Flickr group, together with the artist’s name and a link to their Flickr stream.
The Snapshot Gallery is created to shine light, honour, and promote SL’s visual storytellers. An exhibit featuring 12 exceptional photographers whose work captures the soul and spirit of the virtual world.
– From a description of the Snapshot
Both the Photo Contest and Snapshot Gallery feature their own opening events, in keeping with the other galleries within the venue, offering plenty of opportunities for social gatherings.
Rich in exhibition content, offering good self-read tutorial boards (do be sure to page through them with the arrow keys!), and plenty of opportunities for engagement and social activity, Centre for the Arts is a well put together and well presented arts venue and community. To keep abreast of events and exhibitions, be sure to join the Centre’s in-world Group.
Slurl Details
- Centre for the Arts (Waterstone, rated Moderate)
