A unique art experience, with NFTs
June 6 – NEWBERRY – Tucked away in the town of Newberry, a unique art experience known as the NFT Museum – located at 1110 Harrington Street – gives spectators a chance to see this art in person.
Before we go into the actual museum, let’s explain NFT art (non-fungible tokens). According to Robert Matheson, owner and operator of the NFT Museum, NFT art refers to any digital art that is registered as a non-fungible token on the blockchain.
“A blockchain is simply a digital ledger that is stored and maintained on a decentralized computer network. NFTs establish ownership and authenticity of a particular item or piece of content, referred to as digital assets. Any art medium that can be digitally represented can also be registered as an NFT, including films, music, 2-D and 3-D visual arts, literature, poetry and more,” he said.
According to an article on Forbes, an NFT is a digital asset, bought and sold online using cryptocurrency and is generally encoded with the same underlying software as many cryptos.
Matheson said he decided to bring this experience to the City of Newberry because the NFT art industry began to grow rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many artists were unable to hold exhibitions and most galleries were closed, leading artists and collectors to explore digital art on the blockchain. Having participated as an artist myself, it became clear that physical spaces were needed for the community to experience digital art in real life,” he said.
Taking the physical location one step further, Matheson said the space could also provide education and learning opportunities for those looking to participate in the growing digital economy.
“In addition to our brick-and-mortar location, we’re also projecting digital murals of NFT art onto buildings throughout Newberry (after sunset). It’s about education, opportunity and artistic expression,” he said.
Since opening in October 2021, Matheson said they have had many members of the community visit the museum, learn to create digital art and register their work as NFTs.
“Six exhibitions have been held in the museum space since we opened in October 2021. The latest of these is SESSIONS, a collaborative art exhibition that connects digital artists from around the world to create generative art NFTs,” he said.
In fact, the museum collection includes more than 1,500 works of contemporary digital art created by over 900 individual artists, from around the world.
In the extensive collection, Matheson said it is impossible to pick a favourite; however, he chose to highlight “The Programmer” by Neville Glover.
“The piece is an early artificial intelligence artwork collected by the museum. The emergence of digital art created with the help of artificial intelligence marks another innovative milestone in the history of art,” said Matheson. “We invite the public to visit the museum and learn more about how AI is revolutionizing art.”
On a personal level, Matheson said NFTs represent a significant leap forward in the accessibility of art.
“Anyone with a smartphone and internet access can create digital art and sell it worldwide. Blockchains are completely open and censorship-free. There are no gatekeepers monitoring what you can or cannot create, and it’s transparent for all to see,” said he. “There is no other technology or system that offers this level of artistic freedom. Perhaps most important are the possibilities that are possible if you learn to use these digital tools. Increasing your digital literacy will serve you well not only for creating art, but in all aspects of your life as the world becomes increasingly digital.”
If you would like to visit the NFT Museum, you can do so by going to 1110 Harrington Street, Newberry. The opening hours are Tuesday-Friday, 12.00-16.00 and by appointment.
“We are happy to schedule private tours, and we are available to speak at educational institutions and community events about innovations in art and technology,” he said.
Call 803-768-5250 or visit www.NonFungibleTokenMuseum.org for more information.
Reach Andrew Wigger @ 803-768-3122 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.
