Saatchi Gallery - Do You Stuart?

Here's what The Independant, UK has to say about Stuart
( http://saatchi-gallery.co.uk/stuart ) :

" Charles Saatchi created a sensation in the art world by putting the work of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and the Chapman Brothers on display. Now he's looking to find the next generation of talent with 'Stuart', a non-profit online gallery for students with something to show. In its first week, 600 have signed up - and the website has attracted 20 million hits. Watch this space"

And this is one time I can't say anything bad about an NYT article. In fact, I don't even want to. "The brainchild of the London-based advertising magnate and collector Charles Saatchi, this social networking outlet - a kind of MySpace knockoff for artists - is causing something of a sensation, boosting traffic at the gallery's Web site overall to more than three million hits a day....
"I've done a couple of commissions, but this is my first sale," Ms. Murphy said. Yet what she likes best about Stuart is not so much the commercial rewards as the ability to gain access to other students and their work." - New York Times

I know a winner, as well as any other netizen, when I see it. Stuart has all the ingredients necessary to hit the stratosphere in internet marketing and traffic - An untapped visitor base, hype, free publicity from major MSM outlets and perfect timing. Every year, there's a new winner in the internet traffic wars. Myspace, friendster, youtube...Stuart? You tell me.

I have a feeling about this one. It's supposed to be for artists, but tell me, can you resist the urge to create something and upload it? It's the same urge that Youtube brought out among internet users and changed a lot of things about the internet. It's not just about video sharing anymore. It's about an outlet for your creativity without all the agony which artists face. It's an outlet for citizen journalism. And Stuart is taking it one step further by mixing up art, multimedia and the internet. The only problem is the hosting. On a high speed broadband connection, their pages crawl and groan before loading. Understandable, considering the tremendous pressure an NYT article can bring, but still no excuse.

Showcase your creativity. Explore a virtual gallery of art. Make friends, learn more. All the things that artists do. Without having to live the life of an artist. Do you Stuart?