Art lovers curious about what caused the craze around NFT and the rush to collect such digital assets will have a physical museum to visit in Seattle to get an appreciation. higher on this phenomenon.
NS Seattle NFT . Museum, opening January 14, is being billed as the first museum dedicated to the emerging art form in the Pacific Northwest and will showcase artists as well as a gathering place for enthusiasts. and collection.
SNFTM – not to be confused with old SAM or EMP or any other acronym – was founded by Seattle entrepreneurs Jennifer Wong and Peter Hamilton. The tech veterans are active in the business and startup communities and have previously worked together at marketing agency Tune.
Wong is currently the head of sustainability at digital freight startup Convoy, and an assistant professor at the University of Washington. Hamilton, the former CEO of Tune, is now the head of commercial for the Roku streaming platform.
Wong told GeekWire that digital literacy is higher in Seattle than many other places, and there is a large audience of NFT enthusiasts looking for more ways to share art and build relationships.
“Public curiosity also exploded,” Wong said. “The Seattle NFT Museum is accessible to anyone who has heard of the term NFT and wants to learn a little more.”
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are virtual certificates of ownership recorded as part of a blockchain computing network and have caused a frenzy among cryptocurrency collectors and enthusiasts. Everything from random internet memes to serious digital artwork can be assigned unique digital authenticity – and sold at attractive prices.
It was hoped that having a physical location would further boost media coverage in Seattle. Wong calls inspiration, education, and community the three main goals of the dedicated space, and says elements of all three are missing from the forums and digital platforms where the NFT is now primarily focused on. weak are introduced.
‘The online community is becoming more and more powerful, there is little substitute for looking at art, standing next to another person.’
The museum, located at 2125 First Ave. in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, there will be more than 30 high-quality displays to showcase digital art. The museum’s website calls display quality “the cornerstone of this immersive gallery,” and the art on display lives on the blockchain and is featured on loan from artists, creators, rooms, and more. exhibitors and collectors.
The move to a physical showroom is an interesting twist from the route taken by Seattle-based Phosphene, which is launched as an online portal of assortment in May by Art Min and Kirsten Anderson, owners of the Roq La Rue gallery.
“The fidelity and size of the screen create space for inspiration that scrolling screens on smartphones cannot provide,” says Wong. “The online community is becoming more and more powerful, seeing art, standing next to another person can be replaced. We need both worlds, and we know there will be plenty of opportunities to connect the metaverse to physical experiences in the future. ”
The goal is to make NFT more accessible, provide exposure to digital art and artists, and help people understand how the art form is interpreted.
Wong is working directly with the artists, managers opening program of the museum. Hamilton is managing Discord and the collection community. The two call it a fun passion project, but they’ll need help and are currently recruiting for admin, curator, community manager, and IT roles.
In addition to art exhibits, the Seattle NFT Museum will also be available to host NFT minting events, off-site events, conferences, fundraisers, holiday parties, photo sessions and more.
Here are the artists and collections that will be initially featured by SNFTM:
- title artist, Blake Kathryn: 3D artist from LA with a futuristic aesthetic who has collaborated with Lil Nas X, Jimmy Choo, Vox and Warner Brothers. Blake Kathryn will be Q&A at the museum on opening weekend.
- Show collection, Bird Collection: Works owned by Seattle tech founder and NFT collector Aaron Bird will be lent to the museum as its first exhibit. Bird was founded before Seattle business marketing startup Bizible and startup studio Pienza.
- Seattle Artists, Neon salt water: Seattle-based 3D artist and environmental designer who specializes in creating digital and physical rooms. Customers and collaborators have included Barney’s New York, Starbucks, Facebook, Seattle Art Museum, Target, etc.
- Seattle Artists, Charles Peterson: Photographer known for documenting the Seattle grunge music scene of the ’80s and ’90s. Peterson just recently break into the NFT scene with the sale of a collection of stone images.
- Seattle Artists, Robbie Trevino: Seattle-based concept artist and illustrator specializing in surreal and sci-fi illustration and design. Customers include: Lucasfilm, Tool, DeadMau5, Magic the Gathering, Netflix (Love, Death and Robots), Valve, Xbox and more.
- Artist introduction, H + Creative: Artist agency and visual services studios showcase some of the most respected NFT artists working today.
