The Internet, of course, is one of the best venues for information about the arts. The USENET system is also a great source of information about art. In fact, some users prefer the simplified interface of the USENET newsgroups to Internet forums and other discussion venues where the forum oftentimes overwhelms the discussion itself.
USENET newsgroups that have to do with the art world are generally found under the rec - a shortened form of the word "recreation" - hierarchy. Most good USENET newsgroups dedicated to the arts are listed under the hierarchy rec.arts. By appending the name of whatever type of art you are interested in after the word "arts" and the period, you should be able to find a discussion about any form of art in which you have an interest.
Why USENET Is Still Interesting for Artists
If you're an artist and have long been lamenting the fact that socializing in person has been overshadowed by socializing online, you're not alone. Many artists feel that the fact that the Internet has made art gatherings, gallery showings and other venues where people actually showed off their art in person rather obsolete to be very disturbing and to be detrimental to the arts on the whole.
The USENET system has text posts as its main form of communication. It's hard to get overwhelmed by the simplicity of the text post. It also tends to appeal to people who like to get information online but who don't necessarily think of being online as a worthwhile endeavor in and of itself. Many of the people you'll find using the USENET system will use it to get information about a particular topic or even about a particular artist and will then look around in person for more information on their own.
A Smart Audience
Another problem that artists frequently have with the modern world is that their base of potential clients is less cultured than they were in the past. Many of the younger generation have really only experienced art in digital forms. Disciplines such as oil painting, photography that isn't digital, watercolor and other visual mediums don't get the play that they used to because of the ease and convenience of creating art on a computer. The users on USENET will likely be interested in reading about art, which means that they're not necessarily looking for webpages full of it to substitute for a visit to an actual gallery.
If you're an artist and you're looking for substantive conversations about art and want a way to network with people without having the method of networking serve as a substitute for real life meetings, USENET is something to consider. It's been around for quite a while but it's managed to remain very useful and, for many artists, it's managed to become a very important way that they advertise themselves. USENET has a lot to offer the art community. For an example of that, check out rec.arts.theatre, rec.arts.television and rec.arts.cinema to see how they stack up against webpages about the same subjects, it's likely that you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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