Well, 2006 is coming rapidly to a close. It has been a busy year for us and, after talking about it for probably more than two years, we have finally started making real, visible progress with this project. The Lucid Arts Project has come about through my work as a graphic designer working with local artists in Golden Bay (New Zealand). I got to the point where my conscience didn't quite feel right charging large fees for custom-built websites for artists. My fees are certainly fair but the simple fact is that there is a lot of work involved in setting up a multi-category, cross-referenced, sortable, searchable gallery website with various thumbnail sizes, image handling etc. It is simply a big project and therefor costly and time-consuming. I knew there had to be a better way and that a hosted solution made the most sense. This means updates are handled by us and the artist's website is not a system that is developed once and then left to age. The fact is, the internet is changing and methods and technology change making it easier to do things in better and more efficient, elegant ways. With the advances in "web 2.0" technologies such as "AJAX" ("?":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_%28programming%29), "Ruby on Rails" ("?":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_on_Rails), "RSS Feeds" ("?":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rss_feed), etc, we are hoping to create a system that is both simple for the artist to use and a pleasure for their potential audiences in New Zealand and around the world. We want artists to be able to set up their own websites with minimum web skills but with the flexibility to portray their work elegantly and how they want. We also want to put a real effort into promoting the project which, in turn, promotes the artists. This will be through web and print media and profits from the project will continually be reinvested into promotion and ongoing development. So, as 2006 comes to an end, we are moving forward. We welcome people's feedback and comments and if anyone would like to get involved, they are more than welcome. The whole system is free in the short term so please feel free to contact us at support@lucidarts.org.nz if you would like use to create an account for you. Usage is not limited to New Zealand although the website will only be available in English for the foreseeable future. I wish you all a happy and fulfilling 2007. Galen | Lucid Design