We are thrilled to have spent time with the famed artist Makelismos. His work is revered by many, from Madonna to Pope Francis, and his ongoing project, The MAKELISMOS is in its second year, giving a second life to many famed works in the form of Art, technology, and fashion. As part of his ongoing project, “Every Child Is An Artist”, Makelismios is partnering with The Crypt Gallery in an NG drop on March 8th, 6 pm EST.

Can you tell us a little about yourself, your career, and how Makelismos the brand started?

I always liked to draw, since school, but when I had to choose a university path I decided on Advertising instead of Arts. I don't regret it because I developed my career as a screenwriter which I enjoyed and learned a lot. It was during a break between programs when I decided to return to Mallorca and do resume painting. Painting actually has parallels with the creative process of a screenwriter, so I continued to create, but instead on canvas and not on a script. The truth is that it was a real surprise how quickly everything precipitated. I published one of my works on Instagram and the pilot Jorge Lorenzo contacted me to carry out a commission. From there, and always with Instagram as an expansion tool, numerous top sports stars from the United States contacted me. The ball grew and reached Madonna, Cara Delevingne, Cam Newton, Manny Machado, Jarvis Landry, Antoine Griezmann, Vinicius Jr… and Pope Francis himself. The MÄKELISMOS (www.makelismos.es) project was born two years ago together with my partners Jesús Moreno and Alfonso López. We wanted to give a second life to the works in the form of technology, fashion, and art. The truth is that we knew it could work, but not so quickly and with such a good reception.

What inspires you about art? Who are your artistic influencers?

I am inspired by a movie, a book, a character from history, a song… I am inspired by those characters who were different, who made their existence an event that transcends their lives.
Dalí, Picasso, Velázquez, Twiggy, Basquiat, Keith Haring, James Rosenquist, Einstein, Mohamed Ali… there are many who have had an influence on me when it comes to creating.
These are people I admire not only professionally, but also for their capacity for social and cultural transformation, beyond their eccentricities.

How do you make your art? What is your process in inspiration, planning, creation, and releasing?

I usually drop my daughter off at school and go to the studio. There are always days that are much more productive than others, it all depends on the inspiration of the moment, but having that routine allows me to more easily attract that inspiration. I don’t believe or, at least, I don’t entrust everything to the lashes and the muses that suddenly arrive and save you. Once in my work area, there are days in which I dedicate 10 hours to paint, others 4 hours… it depends on various factors, but rarely is there a day when I don’t
make progress on a work. Nowadays, fortunately, I have a high workload that requires me to go to the studio 6 days a week. I’m not complaining, quite the contrary. Being able to organize my week as I please is a luxury that I greatly appreciate.

What advice would you give to other artists starting out?

I would tell them that, as in all facets of art, the most important thing is what each one keeps and their way of channeling the expression and gaze of the world through a canvas, a song or a cooking recipe. I am not the one to give life advice but I would like to emphasize that the most important thing is to want to tell stories, express feelings and looks. Everything else, fame, applause, and likes are a flash in the pan, it has to be secondary or a consequence, and not at all the reason or objective of creation. I would also like to add that knowing how to manage frustration is essential. To continue, and continue, and continue doing what one loves is the key, despite the fact that sometimes they try to make us see that what we do is not good enough.

How did you first hear about NFTs and why did you choose to expand into this industry?

It’s funny because the first person who talked to me about it was Micah Johnson, with whom I frequently talked about art. Now look at him, his progression in this area is incredible. It was with MÄKELISMOS and my partners that I started to give my 3D works a second life and, through The Crypt Gallery, we started this wonderful journey that has only just begun.

What has been your favorite experience in the art industry?

The experience with Pope Francis had a great impact on me. Firstly, because of the type of social profile and the openness it represents, secondly, because of its artistic sensitivity, which
explains a lot about its sensitivity in all other areas, and thirdly, because it is a solidarity event that took us, from the UN headquarters, where one of my paintings was auctioned for his
children’s foundation Scholas Occurrentes, until the solemn reception in the Vatican. Quite an experience. Madonna also had a great impact on me professionally. She is very clear about what she wants and she is very on top of the whole process. Regarding the NFT field, I share with my partners a premise which is that, regardless of the opportunities, we are guided by personal feeling. And that’s where we meet King of Midtown, Vasia Makris, and The Crypt Gallery team on the way. They are a benchmark in the field but,
above all, they are excellent people and professionals who respect art above all else. It is not easy in the business and artistic path to find the true key, which is none other than going hand in hand with wonderful, responsible, and talented people. They are, without a doubt, the best experience so far in the digital field. There are many more, but far from artistic and technical aspects, the person at the center of everything as the DNA of our work has made a perfect match with them. Very grateful and eager to continue growing together. Also, Moishe Mana, one of Miami’s artistic and technological promoters, has also impressed me a lot with his desire to leave a unique legacy, which he is undoubtedly achieving. Not everyone
with their possibilities decides to dedicate themselves to improving the lives of others.

Are there any upcoming projects or plans you’d like to share with the
community?

We are launching an ongoing Every Child is an Artist collection with The Crypt Gallery. Next March 8th we’ll present in a 24-hour daily auction Dalí Child and we hope it’ll be another sold out as all our previous drops. “Every Child is an Artist” is a famous series of icons represented by children as an expression of that childish creativity that we should never lose. It will be a series that will continue throughout the next year with different icons. After being at Art Basel and The Gateway Miami, the first Web3 metropolis on the planet we’ll
have a presence as featured brand in NFT NYC where we’ll also present our on/ off business model to investors and to a specific NFT audience where our Web3 www.makelismos.io will be a meeting point of talented people, artist, creators… on a platform full of benefits for our collectors. Shortly after we will return to the USA, in this case to Los Angeles to start another partnership with an important agent in the art field in Beverly Hills. In addition, we are going to start an artistic collaboration with Hard Rock Hotel and expand the fashion collection strategy to both Europe and the United States. If all goes well, we are open to fashion partnerships and interesting investors for the brand. We are very excited about our many upcoming projects!

Is there anything else you'd like to share about yourself?

The best is always yet to come. Thank you for the interview and for the cultural promotion that you do!

The post Artist Interview: Makelismos appeared first on NFT CULTURE.

BOSTON — In partnership with laCollection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is launching its second NFT collection of rarely exhibited French pastels from the 19th century, by artists including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Jean-François Millet. Ahead of the drop in February, laCollection will offer a freemint of Degas’ painting Racehorses at Longchamp (1871, possibly reworked in 1874) from January 5–30, 2023. Collectors of the freemint will gain access to preferred prices during a presale of the digital collectible collection as well as a chance to win tickets to the Museum, discounts at the MFA Bookstore and Shop, a behind-the-scenes visit to the Museum’s imaging studio
to see how artworks are digitized, and tickets to a Frieze art fair.

The freemint’s release on January 5 coincides with the announcement of the Samsung x laCollection TV app at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. laCollection’s fine art app within Samsung’s NFT Hub—a TV-based NFT explorer and market aggregator—will allow collectors to browse, purchase and display digital collectibles of works from the MFA’s collection on their TVs.

On sale in February, the NFT collection is based on 11 artworks from the MFA’s holdings, including:
– View of the Sea at Sunset (about 1862), a landscape that may have been presented by Monet at the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris in 1874
– Five pastels by Millet, including Dandelions (1867–68) and Farmyard by Moonlight (1868)
– Dancers in Rose (about 1900), one of Degas’ famous representations of ballerinas

The MFA’s partnership with laCollection is a pilot project that leverages new technology to bring the Museum’s rarely exhibited pastels to life for a new generation of collectors and art enthusiasts. In the first drop that took place throughout the summer of 2022, the Museum and laCollection issued NFTs of 12 pastels in editions of 30 to 50, with nearly 250 sold. As with the first collection, proceeds from the sales will support MFA conservators’ study and treatment of two paintings by Degas: the double portraits Edmondo & Thérèse Morbilli (about 1865) and Degas’s Father Listening to Lorenzo Pagans Playing the Guitar (about 1869-72).

Eric Woods, Chief Operating Officer at the MFA:
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with laCollection and begin the second phase of sharing our Treasures from the Vault. Phase one surpassed our expectations in many ways, generating far-reaching engagement with thousands of people from 200 countries participating. An added bonus was that we could support the care of our collection in the process. With this next drop, we continue to experiment with new ways of offering NFTs with the expectation of broadening our reach even further and providing new gateways for our collection. We hope art enthusiasts everywhere will start their digital collections with the MFA freemint.”

Jean-Sébastien Beaucamps, CEO and Co-Founder at laCollection:
“laCollection is thrilled to pursue its partnership with one of the world’s largest museums in the world. The first collection has proven that Web3 can help museums share their incredible collection of works with a global community. With this second collection, MFA enthusiasts will be able to discover other rarely exhibited Impressionist pastels from the MFA’s renowned collection through a new way of collecting artworks that changed the course of art history.”

For further information please contact:
Pauline Tremsal, laCollection: pauline.tremsal@lacollection.io
Karen Frascona, MFA: kfrascona@mfa.org

About laCollection
laCollection offers collectors new ways to discover, experience and own exceptional art on the blockchain from the world’s best museums, and leading digital artists. Each NFT is authenticated, approved by the relevant museum, gallery or artist, and secured on the blockchain. Collectors will be able to create their own cross-museum galleries of digital art, forging a new community of people with a passion for art and innovation. laCollection has joined forces with sustainable forestry tech company EcoTree.green to launch a 60-year nature-based climate-positive plan., and tracks its carbon footprint with Green Element, a B-Corp climate and sustainability audit firm offering net-zero
solutions to major international brands, in alignment with the STBi criteria (Science Target Based Initiative) as defined by the United Nations.

About the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
The MFA brings many worlds together through art. Showcasing masterpieces from ancient to modern, our renowned collection of nearly 500,000 works tells a multifaceted story of the human experience—a story that holds unique meaning for everyone. From Boston locals to international travelers, visitors from across the globe come to experience the MFA. Through both art and audience, the Museum brings together diverse perspectives—revealing connections, exploring differences, creating a community where all belong. Plan your visit at mfa.org.

Claude Monet, View of the Sea at Sunset, about 1862
Pastel on paper, 15.3 x 40 cm
Bequest of William P. Blake in memory of his sister, Anne Dehon Blake
© Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Odilon Redon, Large Green Vase with Mixed Flowers, 1910-12
Pastel on paper, 74.3 x 62.2 cm
Bequest of John T. Spaulding
© Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The post Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and laCollection Launch Second NFT Collection of Rarely Seen French Impressionist Pastels appeared first on NFT CULTURE.

Diane Lindo wields gritty paint covered Barbies puking and eviscerated fruit in high Punk with a capital P aesthetic stop motion animated shorts. The first time one of Diane’s videos popped on my Twitter timeline I watched it on repeat processing my horror, excitement and discomfort snuggled against comfort that someone gets “it”. What that “it” is? I have no idea, but it permeates every meticulously chaotic frame of her work.

Diane is a self-taught, full-time artist who lives in Ontario, Canada with her wife and 3 cats. She just discovered NFTs earlier this year with her work adored and quickly embraced by many in the experimental crypto art community. I’m grateful she agreed to this interview to learn more about her and her processes and showcase her impactful work.

How + why do you do art?

I’ve been experimenting with several art mediums for as long as I can remember. When I landed on stop motion (5 years ago) everything just kind of tied together. By far, it’s given me the most creative space to play with.

Before starting a video, I write out a vague idea of what I’ll do, leaving enough space to improvise freely as I go. I’ve turned one of our rooms in our 2-bedroom apartment into an art studio – I work mostly out of there. I have bins full of supplies, doll parts/Barbies and all kinds of treasures I found in the garbage/thrift stores. 

Stop motion animation is done frame-by-frame. I take a photo, move my objects slightly, take another photo – and repeat this process. I end up with about 1000 pictures to make up 1 minute of video length. I string all the pictures together in a video editing program called Movavi.

My camera is a Canon EOS Rebel T7i – it’s pretty basic, I’m a lot less interested in the technical side, so, I’m slow to upgrade my equipment

As for why I do art, it’s probably because I struggle intensely with more typical ways of communicating and interacting within our society. The school system moved me around a lot when I was a kid, due to lack of resources/space for atypical students. I ended up getting kicked out of my high school and leaving home at 15 for a couple years and could never hold a ‘regular’ job with a fixed schedule, so, I didn’t have many options lol. Art just makes sense to me, it feels instinctive. I use it as a self regulation tool and a way to expel stagnant energy from my body.
It keeps me connected to both my inner and outer world, tethering me to people/opportunities and emotions I’d otherwise have no way of reaching.  

Inspiration comes from all over, it’s hard to say. Memories- both good and bad, dreams/nightmares, sex, food, all kinds of music, movies, art, nature – literally everything, but mostly centering on human emotions.

How did you get into crypto art?

A few different artists reached out to me on Instagram about NFT’s. My wife and I did some research and it seemed like a great opportunity.

The experience has been better than I could have imagined – people have been incredibly supportive/helpful, and luckily someone was patient enough to guide me through the beginning (pricing, platform, etc.). I don’t really have a favourite platform but I’m leaning towards Foundation (I’m also on OpenSea and KnownOrigin).

You use the word uncomfortable a lot to describe your work. There is discomfort in boundary pushing, which I think your work does in subject matter. What makes you drawn to express the discomfort?

Since my work has a lot to do with processing emotions it’s inevitably going to get uncomfortable. But to me, it feels very cathartic. 

I love being moved by people, whether it’s through artwork/music or just being in someone’s presence. Having my perspective widened and my boundaries stretched within a safe environment makes me feel alive and connected.
There’s a sense of relief and freedom in facing discomfort, I find. Leaning into those feelings with curiosity helps us grow and loosen unnecessary tension we sometimes don’t even realize we’re holding. 

I like to put that back out into the world for whoever wants it.

Why do you choose to use dolls and barbies in your animations?

I like the look of dolls, they’re inherently haunting – you either love them or you hate them, but you can’t forget them. 

Barbie dolls are my easiest go-to when I want to use human-like characters.  I just wish they came in a wider variety of body types. 

As a fellow trashy and experimental artist, I know we have our fair share of critics for our work because it isn’t as “polished” in an traditional sense. Literally people will say “I just don’t get it”. How would you explain your work to someone who says this? 

Ooh I like this question!  I actually think it’s absolutely valid not to like/get my art. I don’t understand everything I come across, so, it would be unrealistic to expect everyone to resonate with my stuff. It’s usually not personal.

But if I had to explain it, the bulk of my work is basically raw emotion/unfiltered imagery out of my subconscious mind not really meaning to be anything other than what it is.
If it’s not easy to watch, I was probably processing something heavy that, understandably, not everyone has a tolerance for.

If you could go back in time and talk to baby artist you, what would you say?

Oof, this is a heavy one for me. In a lot of ways, I still consider myself a baby artist haha. But I would tell my younger self, the lack of support and discouragement you’re receiving has very little to do with you. People often project their personal limiting perspective onto what they don’t understand or feel threatened by.

There’s meaning in what you’re doing, and value in the way your mind works. Your intuition is sharp enough to carve your own life path even when you’re feeling completely depleted. You don’t have to give up on yourself, you just need some serious deep rest – and your personal value does not drop while you’re doing so.

Own your mistakes, take everything in as a lesson, keep living, keep going because it’s all going to be worth it.

Advice to newcomers to nfts from what you have learned.

Since I’ve only been selling my animations as NFTs for 5 months, I’m still learning myself what works and what doesn’t. I’d imagine everyone’s journey would be pretty unique, so I’m not sure what to say. But definitely watch out for scammers/hackers. I followed advice and bought a Ledger hardware wallet – this is one way to secure the crypto you’ve saved. People often tweet useful advice on how to protect yourself (don’t click links in DMs, etc.) – do your research!

Artists you love in crypto art and why?

osho (@oshohohohoho), particularly her animated collections on Foundation – INKBAEs and FROGGY’s Mythos, and Fatima Yasrebi (@yasrebi_fatima). These two animation artists caught my eye right away. They both have insane talent and creativity worth checking out! Especially if you love a combo of cute but kinda dark haha.

Tjo (@0xTjo), my godddd, this is some of the most striking artwork I’ve seen in a while. How does something give off so much pain/heartbreak but comfort and calmness at the same time. I can’t find any words to do it justice.

LINKS TO EXPLORE DIANE LINDO’S WORK FURTHER

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeeLindo

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/dianee.lindo

The post Artist Feature: Diane Lindo appeared first on NFT CULTURE.

This last week has been dubbed the unofficial official #glitchweek by glitch artists, curators and fans of the genre. In celebration, here is the interview feature of Jarid Scott, a prolific and talented glitch artist and Community Development Lead at Makersplace, about Glitch Art, his inspirations and experiences. I met Jarid through Glitch Alpha Force – a community of Glitch artists founded by Dawnia Darkstone – in which we mutually lurked on each others artwork and development in the space. I appreciate Jarid for taking the time to answer my questions.

Hey, I’m Jarid Scott (@jrdsctt). I am a digital artist currently living and working out of Salt Lake City, Utah, although I am originally from Minnesota. I have a bachelors of fine art in digital art & photography that I got from the University of Minnesota, Duluth in 2012. I have been working as a freelance digital artist/graphic designer since about 2016, I got into minting and selling NFTs in early 2019, and got a job working for a NFT platform, MakersPlace, in May of 2021. My main style would be considered “glitch art” or “photo manipulation”, though I also dabble in A.I. art as well as doodling in Procreate on my iPad.

How did you get started as an artist?

I became interested in art as a young lad. Salvador Dalí was my first introduction to fine art and I fell deeply in love with his dreamlike worlds and landscapes. At first I wanted to be a cartoonist (cos I was a kid and loved cartoons), but soon learned that I had zero ability to draw. Photography became my next passion in high school (mostly because it involved such little drawing). I was so into it in fact, that it’s what I ended up going to college for, tho, as I spent more and more time in photo classes, I found myself more and more drawn to the “post” and “editing” parts of photography, and less into actually taking pictures. This new found interest in photo editing paired with my love of Nine Inch Nails’ art direction (at the time my art hero Rob Sheridan was their art director and his glitch style was incredibly inspiring to me) led to me becoming a photo based glitch artist. In 2016 I decided to challenge myself to creating one piece of glitch art a day for an entire year, and this led to the birth of “jrdsctt”, my artistic identity. Between 2016 and 2019 I was a freelance artist, mostly making album art for smaller bands, and then MakersPlace and NFTs entered my life, and it’s been all consuming of my time and life ever since.

What does Glitch Art mean to you?

To me, glitch art is an escape from reality. It’s a break in our typical reception of the world and it forces us to look at it from a new perspective. I especially love when it takes recognizable forms and shapes and places, and breaks them down almost to the point of being completely unrecognizable, when it challenges our ability to make connections with things that should be easily accessible in our memories. Glitch art also rides that fine balance between embracing technology and destroying technology. Loving tech and fearing tech. Insert glitchy ying yang. One of my other favorite aspects of Glitch is how anti-elite it is. There are so many ways and methods and techniques involved in glitch that almost anyone can jump in (for a relatively low cost) and start making amazing art!

Why did you get into crypto/nfts?

I honestly thought I would never get into crypto. Back in 2018 I vaguely knew what bitcoin was, but I had zero interest in it. At the time I was posting a lot of my art on a website called “ello” which is an art sharing social network. One of the features of the site is that people can reach out to you and ask if you are interested in collaborating or doing commission work, and I kept getting emails from some company called “MakersPlace” asking if I wanted to check them out and sell “Rare Digital Art” through them. I honestly thought it was a scam, until I noticed a few of my friends post on Instagram that they were making sales on MakersPlace, so I decided to check it out. I joined their Discord, got an invite to mint and sell there, and instantly fell in deep. Overall, NFTs have been a life changing experience for me. I recently bought my first house, and 100% of the down payment came from NFTs sales of my own art. I know the NFT world isn’t perfect, but it’s hands down the best way for an artist to make a living off their art.

As boring and unfunny as this story is, I think my favorite NFT story is that I was able to buy a house because of NFTs. Since graduating college, my partner and I had been renting or living with parents. Renting is fine and all, but, it’s a bit disheartening to know that all of that rent money was just going into someone else’s pocket, and not be invested in us and our future in some capacity. And then NFTs came along. I’m not gonna lie, I am not sure I would have sold as many as I did had it not been for the big Beeple sale in March of 2020. The buzz surrounding it led to thousands of people flocking to MakersPlace to see what NFTs were all about, and, a lot of first time buyers trying to get in on this industry that just had this massive $69 million sale. I sold a lot of NFTs between 2020 and 2021. So many in fact, that we were able to afford a down payment on a house that we moved into February of 2022. It’s an amazing and surreal feeling, and to be honest, it still doesn’t feel real sometimes. But regardless, it’s incredibly inspiring and empowering knowing that this house is ours cos of some jpegs I sold on the internet.

Can you discuss your role at MakersPlace?

My current role at MakersPlace is “Community Development Lead”, but I started out as a “Customer Success Specialist”. I joined MakersPlace as an artist/user in early 2019. At the time I was working at a small print shop in SLC as a graphic designer for my day job, and doing a side hustle as a freelance artist in my free time. I was hungry for any opportunity to sell my art, and MakersPlace/NFTs seemed like something I should try out. In 2019, only a year after the formation of the company, they had an extremely small staff (I think only about 4-6 employees), and since I was working this desk job and sitting around on Discord all day already, I got in super deep with their community there. So much so that I was asked to become their first official Ambassador, essentially helping the community out, doing mod/admin duties in their Discord, and answering questions where I could. After the infamous Beeple/MakersPlace/Christies sale in March of 2020, the platform was flooding with new users trying to get in and learn more about this new NFT craze, and MakersPlace did not have a dedicated support person at the time. So, since I was already spending most of my days answering questions on MakersPlace, they offered to pay me to do it, and I said yes! After a year with the company, my strengths and interests moved away from support and more towards community building, and that’s how I landed where I am now, as their Community Development Lead.

Where do you see the future of crypto art going?

It’s really difficult for me to imagine a future (at least before climate change or antibiotic resistant disease wipes out most of the life on earth ) that doesn’t have crypto art/NFT. This technology and the entire web3 movement has been a monumental game changer for creatives and their ability to make a living off their creations. Going to art school, we were taught that the days of “being an artist and nothing more” were over. We were told that we would have to get graphic design jobs, photo assistant positions, and rely on gig/commission work if we wanted to “be creative” for a living. NFTs changed that. They made it possible for artists to pay the bills simply by making the art they would have already been making in their free time. I no longer have to make album art for bands, I can just make the art that I wanna make. NFTs are here to stay. And where will they go from here? I feel like the days of this just being an art thing will be over soon. I don’t think fine art NFTs are going anywhere, but the tech has so much potential beyond just art. Mainstream media, movies, shows, video games, etc., I think that’s the next big step. How will it all work? I have no clue, but NFTs and crypto tech have so much untapped potential, it’s hard for me to imagine it not creeping into more and more things as time goes on.

Advice to newcomers to nfts/art from what you have learned.

The best advice I can give, and this applies to both new artists and new NFT artists, and it’s a line I stole from sgt_slaughtermelon (which is a line he stole from the show “Oz” which is a show I have never seen so I am sure I am messing it up): “Find a gang”. The NFT art space, and even just the social media art space is an endless sea of noise. There are thousands upon thousands of artists constantly posting, Instagraming, Tweeting, sharing, uploading, shilling, and screaming about their art. It can be super difficult to stand out and be seen. This is where the gang comes in handy. Find a crew, find a group of like minded friends/acquaintances/strangers who art you dig, get to know them, and just befriend them. I can’t begin to tell you how much good can come from this. You need people to support you, share your stuff, help you through the hard times, celebrate your wins, and just in general be there for you. And, you will be doing the same thing for them. Everyone wins. WAGMI.

3 Artists I Love In Crypto

3 Artists I Derive Inspiration From:

LINKS TO EXPLORE JARID’S WORK FURTHER:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrdsctt

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jrdsctt

Collab with the band HEALTH: https://zora.co/collections/zora/1487

Collab with sgt_slaughtermelon: https://foundation.app/@sgt_slaughtermelon/foundation/77794

Collab with Kate the Cused: https://makersplace.com/jrdsctt/cursed-smn-4-of-10-77080/

Collab with KNNY: https://makersplace.com/ninjaboffin/v-a-p-o-r-d-r-a-b-1-of-1-185487/

Collab with NoNoNoNoNo: https://makersplace.com/jrdsctt/_m_n____nv_f_____03-1-of-1-185054/

The post Artist Feature: Jarid Scott appeared first on NFT CULTURE.

The 50mm Collective is an NFT art collective dedicated to providing resources and opportunities to historically underrepresented artists with a focus on highlighting BIPOC LGBTQIA artists. As early pioneers in the space, they felt a direct responsibility to ensure diverse representation becomes the forefront of Web3. Their current exhibition “Visibility Gallery” which is a touring VR gallery with a plethora of artists that made its way around NYCNft and soon Oakland.

When I first became a contributor to NFTCulture, I reached out to the founders Raven + Chelsea immediately to do a feature, because not only is my art in the Visibility Gallery as an LGBTQ artist, but I strongly feel the work they are doing is so vital for cultivating an inclusive Web3 for all people. I am so honored and grateful they have agreed to this interview.

Can you give us a quick intro about yourselves?

My name is Raven Trammell aka Raven50mm. I am an Afro Latinx, trans masc photographer and the founder of the 50mm Collective. I’m also the events manager for Quantum and the community curator for PASS NFT. 

Hi my name is Chelsea Quintela the co-founder of the 50mm Collective. Im an NFT Aesthetics artist. Studied and trained in Fashion Design BFA as well as painting in different mediums. 

What was your inspiration to start 50mm Collective and what is its mission?

There were at the time, a lot of polarizing groups that did not fully resonate with how I identify and represent myself… trans & biracial. Getting Chelsea onboarded at the same time, we wanted to create a community for artists who also were feeling how we were. We believe making a living as an artist shouldn’t be some unattainable dream. We want to use the tools of web3 and IRL experiences to fuse together both communities. 

As the 50mm collective Twitter grew and artists with similar experiences started showing up for each other within the space, we decided to bring this energy irl having the first meta masquerade and the 50MM Collectives first virtual gallery featuring over 100 artists from all around the world. Seeing the exposure for these artists first hand and their work being collected from our curated gallery made us realize the vision is greater than we can imagine.

By curating outstanding artwork into stunning virtual galleries, the 50mm Collective creates an elevated IRL experience for the art community. As early pioneers and leaders in the NFT space, we feel a direct responsibility to ensure diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of web3. Our vision is to fuse curation, culture, and community in a way that enriches the art world.

How/why did you get into crypto/nfts? Overall experience so far? 

Raven: I was on Clubhouse trying to learn more about investing in crypto and they started talking about NFTs and digital artwork. I started going to more rooms to learn and also did a lot of research on my own to start. I got active on Twitter where the bulk of theNFT convos were happening. I minted my first piece on Ghost Market (phantasma blockchain) and just evolved from there trying to find community to grow within web3.  

Chelsea: Raven introduced me to NFTs and encouraged me to put my art and creations out there. I minted my first collection on Opensea and getting my first sale made NFTs real to me. 

The overall experience has been a rollercoaster to say the least, but even with the ups and downs of the crypto market, fomo on all the amazing projects and events, and sometimes burnout; it has still been worth it.The artist connections & watching the web3 space grow overall is why we keep going.

Finding balance is key… which we are still learning. 

What is your funniest/favorite nft related story?

Raven: When we met NFTGirl and she said we were the cutest Web3 couple AND when both of our artwork was featured in Times Square on the Godzilla screen! Note: I would like to mention not only did they get to see their artwork in Times Square – Raven proposed to Chelsea at that time which to me is one of the most iconic moments of NYCNft. Love is love.

After seeing our artwork in Times Square – I asked @ChelseaQuintela if she wanted to spend the rest of this life together and she blessed me w a YES

My Queen, my heart, my light — I’m so excited to be on this journey w you. I love you to moon & back & then there again pic.twitter.com/z6hwJD2nUS

— Raven | He/Him (@raven50mm) June 23, 2022

Chelsea: Going to an NFT gallery show for Gabe Weis and he was wearing a hat with a Picasso drawing that Raven also has as a tattoo. The pure joy of that connection was definitely a top moment to experience.

3 projects you love in crypto art and why?

1. Mutual – they are building an NFT marketplace and web3 ecosystem centering and celebrating trans and queer creators and culture-makers. A portion of Mutual’s platform fees fund direct action mutual aid.

2. PASS – they’re an artist first initiative with utility packed in their PASS NFT. 

3. WOE Collective – Women of Excellence  is a woman of color led NFT collection building community, content and curation. Minting soon! 

Where do you see the future of crypto art going?

Turning into a lifestyle and touching all aspects of everyday life. From clothing to coffee brands. There are so many unlimited possibilities! 

Advice to newcomers to NFTs from what you have learned. 

Go at your own pace and start building your community first. Get into Twitter spaces and other live conversations to gain an awareness of the space. Be mindful of your web3 security and safety. YouTube is also an unmatched resource, subscribe to the 50MM Collective ;).  

Links to Explore 50mm Further

Visibility Gallery: https://oncyber.io/visibility

Twitter: https://twitter.com/50mmCollective

Raven’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/raven50mm

Chelsea’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/chelseaquintela

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Sutu is an XR Artist/Storyteller who is the creator of the 10k Tezos collection Neonz, co-founder of Eye Jack App, TED Speaker and soon to be releasing his latest incarnation of his project – Circuit Breaker. 

The Sutuverse is a Web3 playground exploring the possibilities of NFT powered interactive experiences including AR, webGL and later in the year some VR.  On July 6, Sutu premiered to the world his new Neonz game ‘Circuit Breaker’ at the Proof of People exhibition at Fabric in London. The team had a computer terminal set up at the exhibition where visitors were able to play the game as a number of Neonz avatars and battled their way through a neon maze of obstacles to get the fastest time.  Additionally, at the exhibition Sutu showcased  ‘Neonz Facez’ – an interactive AR installation where visitors stand before a large 75 inch screen that is mounted with an iPhone. They were able to activate any one of his 10000 Neonz cyberpunk AR face filters. 

As the next evolution of The Sutuverse – Circuit Breaker is a browser-based speed run game. Sutu is aiming to launch the game publicly in the next few weeks. Launch date TBA, keep an eye on Sutuverse.com for updates. This is a Tezos based project, so users will be able to sync their Tezos wallets and then purchase a Neonz coin to play the game. For folks who own a Neonz already your Neonz will materialize as a full body 3d avatar. In game, they will have the option to customize and pimp out their Neonz with a bunch of new accessories. If you don’t own a Neonz, you can play as a nude base model, but will miss out on a few perks.  

This is a huge achievement technologically Sutu is proud of because in his words not only is this first release finished but “we figured out how to get all 10000 Neonz avatars loading in the game and also on peoples faces using AR – still can’t believe how smoothly that works.” In the long term this is a world building project, and since Sutu comes from a story-telling background, he is excited to further release his long wishlist of new features and lore as the Sutuverse evolves and grows. 

Links to explore more of The Sutuverse

Sutuverse Website – https://www.sutuverse.com/

Sutu Eats Flies Artist Website – https://www.sutueatsflies.com/

Neonz Website – https://www.neonz.xyz/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/sutu_eats_flies

The author of this article is a collector of Neonz at the time of publication.

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Born out of the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s New York City, zine creation is synonymous with a variety of subcultures, art movements and literature through the decades. For the unfamiliar, a zine in the broadest sense is a self published work of writing, art, photography, comics or mixture of all the previous and usually are made by creators mainstream publications tend to reject or vice versa. With it’s roots in freedom of expression and play, individual autonomy, local community support and underground communication, zines are finding a new vital place in the community on the Tezos blockchain by highlighting artists and writers globally from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. 

Generally, these Web3 zines are simply minted .pdfs. Each issue is available for viewing to anyone who wishes to digitally thumb through promoting accessibility in information, while collectors are able to purchase the limited amount of editions available to support the creators of the zines. Some zines – like The Tickle –  even have subscription tokens in which avid collectors get new editions automatically airdropped to their wallet with extra surprises too like special edition art from artists featured in the zine. As the culture and community grows, more innovation presents itself in distribution models, format and perks in collecting. 

While this is not a comprehensive list of the currently available zines on Tezos, here are highlights of a few of the publications that are exceptional in curating artists and writers each with their own niche subjects.

THE TICKLE

At the forefront of the Tezos zine movement is The Tickle – @inwarhol – who recently celebrated its 1 year birthday with 52 editions now published featuring 100s of Tezos based artists and writers from around the globe. Released every Friday and Twitter spaces congruently hosted to speak with the featured artists, The Tickle is a love letter to the myriad of artists that have been working within the Tezos ecosystem. Personally, I love to wander through the kaleidoscope of works and artists that are featured in these pages to discover new artists.

The Tickle was founded by @GuysWily, co-created for 3 months with @MaiaMellier and various co-editors including @THorsmeier @JonicolaRush. The team currently is @GuysWily and @monochromatikal with the co-editor of Tickle Lit being @heyghostshoes

CRYPTOFAGO

Cryptofago is a newer publication that stands out for highlighting specifically Brazilian artists. Created by @acatfishartist with help from @_vcntt_ it is published in English and Portuguese to reach both international and Brazilian markets. With thought provoking content to provide cultural context and history for non-Brazilians or audiences who are unfamiliar with the background, this zine facilitates a deeper understanding of artists from the major art market in the Global South. The name Cryptofago is a tribute to the Anthropophagic Manifesto by Oswald de Andrade, a document that was the reference of the Brazilian modernism of the 1920s. 

SLOTH ZINE

Created by @burkabayramart and @weird_realm, Sloth Zine is a comic artist focused zine that encourages us to slow down and take a break.  Featuring 30-50 artists an edition with each drawing a one page black and white comic, the creators highlight all the wonderful illustrative artists on Tezos internationally. While comics tend to be thought of as a quick format digestion, each page of this zine feels a meditation over a Sunday morning comic. 

HELIX ZINE

Helix Zine – founded by  @arditty & @damlasahinbas_ – is a photography zine designed to be a source of inspiration for each other and to discover new ways of creative thinking. What is unique about this zine is it is a chain structure – where the the first photo of the zine inspires the next photo which inspires the next without each artist knowing who the previous artist. This creates an overarching visual narrative that is a collective stream of consciousness. 

MINA ART MAG 

Mina Art Mag is digital arts magazine by Brazliian women focused to help build up women artists and voices to equalize representation of women in the arts globally. Created by @silviahmariah and @Art_GiovannaF, the name Mina means “a girl, a woman” in Portuguese to indicate in a straight forward manner the content of this zine. This publication is exceptional in exploring not only woman artists but the issues surrounding women navigating the art world.

RIGHT CLICK SAVE

Right Click Save while not an onchain zine, more than deserves a mention for their work in preserving the narrative and legacy of early crypto art movement and digital outsider artists on Tezos and beyond. Run by @alexestorick under the umbrella of @clubnft – an Artnome project – but editorially independent, this publication is worth a dive for those seeking critical discourse about art on the blockchain.

The author of this article is a collector and avid reader of these zines at time of publication.

The post Arts Feature: The Emergence of Zines on Tezos appeared first on NFT CULTURE.

NFT projects continue to dominate the NFT space, with many new releases occuring each week, sometimes multiple on the same day. NFT projects might consist of social media avatars, digital collectibles or even hand drawn pieces of art work. With so many different concepts to evaluate, it is easy to become overwhelmed and quit. To aid our readers, we have developed a simple set of principles that can be used as a guide for whether a project has a shot to survive.

Before we continue, its worth noting that this guide is focused on answering the question: “Will this project be around for the long haul?” We are not seeking to provide a guide to the very profitable art of flipping NFT projects, there are plenty of other resources if wish to go in that direction.

One other point of consideration, we are deliberately not including the overall artistic direction / aesthetic as an item in this list. The reason is because art is highly subjective, and it while it goes without saying, art should absolutely be the number one reason to consider purchasing an item from a NFT project.

High Value Project Attributes

• Does the project do something new, unique, or groundbreaking. How does it push NFT projects forward as a whole? Is the project simply a copy cat of another project, or a mash-up of ideas?
• How does the project provide tangible utility?
  • Future air-dropped NFTs
  • Ability to attend in-person events
  • Special access to private social settings
  • Availability of licensed merchandise
• How does the project integrate with the metaverse?
  • AR / VR models
  • Interactive NFT player
  • Integrations with virtual worlds
• Does the project respect the NFT Project Bill of Rights?

For originality, consider the gravity of the new element that is being introduced. Bored Ape Yacht Club introduced the idea of a private social space (the bathroom), but the space itself is pretty lackluster as an activity. Bonsais provided AR and VR files on day 1, along with the rendered video of the NFT, allowing people to immediately play with the NFT. This was attention grabbing, but faded pretty quickly. VeeFriends provides access to VeeCon, which will remain relevant for several years, an eternity in the NFT space. Bored Apes is forced to continue its innovation via a roadmap, but VeeFriends can comfortably rest on the base utility provided by VeeCon.

For each of the utility items, also consider whether the benefit is granted to original owners, all current owners, or just a random subset of owners, such as those registered for a discord channel. An air-dropped NFT, such as Meebits provided to all CryptoPunk owners, can be a huge driver of value. The promise of giving out a few hundred NFTs based on chance or silly approaches, such as buying pieces priced below floor have little relevance.

Low Value Project Attributes

• Ability to participate in community events
  • Treasure Hunts
  • Puzzles
  • Social Media Promotions
• Ability to enter into giveaways
• Royalties, in the form of some small percentage of an indefinite calculation
• Other low probability of success games of chance

In general, we place almost no long term value in any of these concepts. In fact, because these are generally low technical effort, low cost to implement sorts of arrangements, a NFT project that depends too heavily on any of these for its community building is likely not to be around in the future. We often see these approaches used in NFT projects that come off as ponzi schemes. Royalties was a tough one, as its something we would like to see successfully implemented. The problem, is that the Royalty calculations have to be created before the NFT project creators know whether the project will be successful. This lack of future knowledge causes the calculations to be engineered in such a way as to leave too much wiggle room to yield actual value.

So there you have our metrics for NFT project valuation. We’ve done quite a bit of peer review on it, but there are always angles we have not considered. If you have any comments, please reach out and let us know. Good luck with your research!

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NFT Projects are the new bubble in the NFT world, quickly filling the speculation space after the NFT crash of March and the Musk-Defi Crypto crash of April. Every day, new NFT projects are launching, and its hard not to recognize a considerable decline in quality and lack of innovation with each new project.

After spending yet another week combing through smart contracts and founder claims and badly rendered images and broken OpenSea metadata, NFT Culture has had enough of the poor rollouts and decided to put together a declaration of rights for digital citizens for future NFT Project builders.

NFT Project Bill of Rights

1. Reveal the NFT when minted.
2. Include all promised file formats.
3. Provide clear terms of the licensing agreement.
4. Make source code of contract available.
5. Earned Anonymity

In the crypto space, and definitely in NFTs, innovation is constantly happening, and that means that sometimes projects are in progress down to the wire, and many are being bootstrapped with little to no funding by their creators. We understand that making too many demands of the creators would stifle creation, however we feel our list of rights still leaves plenty of room for creativity.

Seasoned collectors in the space will certainly recognize why each of these items is important, but for the newer folks or the people considering whether to try to build a project, let’s dive in to each individually.

1. Reveal the NFT when minted.

Outside of very limited pre-sales, we strongly believe that NFTs should be revealed immediately upon minting. When the NFT is minted, in order for it to be revealed, not only does the smart contract need to be functional, but also the token uri needs to be defined and the metadata needs to exist somewhere and provide details of the token and the token’s corresponding primary asset. By revealing the NFT at this time, it proves the project’s basic functionality as well as completes the transaction with the buyer in a concrete manner. If the NFT is not revealed until a later time, then it requires trust and execution that is not backed up by any programmatic mechanism, and most non-programmatic mechanisms that would have worked in the traditional world will not have much value in a global digital system.

2. Include all promised asset files.

Building on the idea that NFTs aren’t well suited for trust and execution outside of the smart contract, the second right is focused on delivery of the actual assets promised with the NFT. Just as it would be a violation to deliver the NFT without the primary asset itself (typically a image file or a video), it would also be a violation to not include promised secondary asset files. If the NFT is described as a 3D model, then the model files should be included. If the NFT is described as compatible with VR/AR, then the appropriate asset files for those mediums should also be included. After the minting transaction is complete and the NFT has been transferred, there is no enforcement mechanism for the delivery of additional asset files, and it is all to easy for the creator of the project to drop the ball, whether innocently or otherwise on a commitment to deliver additional assets.

As a note about this right, we have no qualms with projects that define roadmaps and project future plans for the NFT Project, where we quickly grow uncomfortable is when a project is promised to be “3D interactive characters” and described as such in numerous places in the project’s documentation, however when the NFTs are minted and transferred, they are only 2D jpgs.

3. Provide clear terms of the licensing agreement.

When a NFT is purchased, users expect to know the limitations on what they are buying. It is rapidly becoming a trend for users to make derivative works with the NFTs that the purchase. Often times, this is a fun exercise, to showcase an artwork that they love, but it could also be shrewd business or just a casual side project as well. It is unfair to the end users if they make a purchase of a NFT with one expectation and then have that expectation challenged legally later. This is an easy step for a NFT Project to undertake — How do we want our users to use the NFTs we create — and it is a huge step for clarity and transparency for the buyers.

Even though we love the great communities and art work that often blossoms out of NFT Projects with full commercial rights passed to the NFT owner, we also have no problems with NFT Projects that would like for their art to only be monetizable by its creators. All we ask is for this to be well defined, clear, and provided up front when the NFT is minted.

4. Make source code of the contract available.

The final item on our bill of rights is perhaps the most important in the NFT Project space. The source code of the contract should be made available in some fashion. NFT Projects are complicated, have many moving parts, and ERC-721 tokens grant a lot of privileges to the creating address that should be up front and clear when NFT minting occurs. As a word of caution to NFT Project consumers, ERC-721 contracts allow the contract owner to change max supply, change metadata, completely break metadata, and a pretty unlimited set of other actions that could be mundane or nefarious depending on the owner’s intentions. The main protection for users is that the contract is immutable after it is published. To complete the circle on the immutability, the source code should be provided and available for review.

5. Earned Anonymity

The cryptocurrency space is full of pseudonymous creators, artists and authors. Most of the time, these participants are creating small pieces and projects, and often giving them away for free or as open source. Many people worry about their online identity affecting their family or possibly their current or future employment opportunities. This is understandable, and we don’t discourage people to do what is right for themselves. However, when forming a NFT Project, and pre-selling large volumes of NFTs, we feel that allowing full anonymity as a community is ripe for abuse. We feel that at least one member of the project, preferably the project’s primary founder or creator, should be public about their identity. This breeds accountability, and helps to prevent bad actors from being able to easily repeat their actions without consequences.

Further Thoughts and Conclusion

The last request we have, which is not to the level as a Right (as described above) is to clearly and openly define the contract’s parameters, such as max supply, how metadata could/will be altered, and any other non-standard elements in the contract, in a human readable fashion in the project’s documentation. Additionally, a template for the metadata for each NFT in the project should be made available as well, so that external dapp developers can plan and develop supportive tools prior to the NFT Project’s launch date.

Our goal here is to continue to drive the NFT ecosystem as a whole forward, and try to turn around the chaotic NFT Project space. We hope future project creators stumble upon this page and take this credo to heart. As always, please reach out to NFT Culture if you have ideas or suggestions to the list, or if you are working on a new NFT Project and want to see if something passes muster.

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As the NFT market continues to mature, in spite of bubbles, crypto crashes, get-rich-quick participants and woefull collectors, the convergence of the traditional art world with corporate companies like the Blizzard is almost an inevitability. Whether corporations start by experimenting with Non-Fungible Tokens, like Disney, or they go all in, like the NBA, it’s only logical to begin looking at all the opportunities for the future of collectables and how NFTs may make sense.  This is the second in a series of blogs that will dissect the feasibility and likelihood of major enterprises embracing the NFT space. In fact, we recently used Pokemon as a key example of a Intellectual Property asset that is teeming with possibility.

Blizzard: A Hungry History

Blizzard is a famous game developer, best known for its online megafranchise World of Warcraft but also well known for many other video game properties. Blizzard describes themselves as both a video game developer and a publisher, and was founded in 1991. Blizzard was purchased by Vivendi and later Activision in 2008. Activision is well known for shrewd business tactics in order to stave off bankruptcy, and is very likely to push its subsidiary to monetize its brand in any way possible.

Blizzard: A Hungry Fanbase

As far back as December 30, 2020, a fan on the Blizzard US forums wrote:

“NFT = Non-Fungible Token. This is the new craze in the world of decentralized finance, and I think it’s going to revolutionize gaming. Basically it’s a token made on the blockchain in which you can trade for real currency or buy other in-game items. You earn them by playing the game. I know I might sound crazy, but all you crypto-heads know what I’m talking about. This could really be the catalyst that makes blizzard top dog again.” -Trenhard

Fans like new content, they like it to be tradable, and most of all, they like for it to be able to be monetized. Imagine being able to re-sale weapons from Diablo, or being able to buy new fan-created skins for Overwatch.

A subsequent post in March of 2021 continued the speculation:

“I’ve been kinda blindsided by how many content creators across all of youtube are creating NFT[s] (non fungible tokens) however, recently a multi billion dollar company got involved. Taco bell created 25 NFT’s attached with something extra… when those tokens are sold… .001% goes to taco bells charity.
Overall this is very new and exciting, almost reminds me of the first days of bitcoin.
Do you think wow will have NFT’s?” – Plaguedemon

We feel that the fans are sensing something that they feel would go great inside of Blizzard’s properties. NFTs are collectable. They have built in rarity. The exist cross-platform. They are already embraced by digital natives comfortable with digital and micro-transactions.

Blizzard: NFT Challenges

Everyone who has been involved with WoW for a long time will know that monetization of game assets has been a long, controversial road. Many marketplaces have been born and died in an attempt to make monetization a reality. Additionally, Diablo 3 fans all remember the horror that was the real-money auction house and it’s hugely negative impact on the game mechanics. So, whatever system Blizzard decides to employ has to be very well thought out and implemented in such a way as to not negatively impact the game.

In any case, NFT Culture staff is very much intrigued by watching Blizzard and Activision to see what they do. If either company decides to enter the NFT market, they will surely be one of the largest players and the amount of volume will be massive. We are very excited to continue watching this space.

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