Artists Rights Society, a copyright player, launches NFT platform to create ‘new economies’ for artists

The Artists Rights Society, an organization that has advised artists on copyright and licensing issues for 35 years, has expanded its efforts into the digital space with the announcement of a new NFT platform, Arsnl.

“Through curated exhibitions, auctions and key strategic partnerships, Arsnl creates new economies for blue-chip and legacy artists while connecting digital creators with traditional collectors and global brands,” said a statement from the platform.

Arsnl goes live at midnight on September 9 with the launch of Frank Stella’s first NFT collection “Geometries”. The series spans 22 digital sculptures in Stella’s Spartan architectural style, published in editions of 100 each.

Priced flat at $1,000, it offers an affordable opportunity to own Stella’s work—as well as a unique tool: Owners will have full rights to make physical reproductions of their digital work at will, at any scale.

“The vision for Arsnl is to carry the Artists Rights Society ethos of protection and promotion into NFT and the digital art space,” Arsnl founder Katarina Feder said in a statement. “Arsnl will guide artists and partners through the creation of digital projects and artworks on the blockchain – while championing an artist-first policy, including embedded royalties and resale rights.”

The platform has been in the works for the past 18 months since blockchain technology hit the mainstream. “Over the past year and a half, we have been fortunate enough to speak with a tremendous amount of traditional artists, institutions and collectors and have listened to their questions and concerns,” Feder said. “Those in the crypto community have been extremely generous, many freely offering advice and guidance.”

Arsnl and “Geometries” launch at a tumultuous time for the crypto and NFT space. “Collectors have definitely become more discerning,” Feder said. “Now that the clutter from the height of the NFT frenzy has dissipated, this is the right climate for an organization like Arsnl to debut a strong project like Frank Stella’s.”

Arsnl founder and CEO Katarina Feder. With permission from Arsnl.

Feder first encountered NFTs in early 2018. “I was taking a class on blockchain and the crypto market when Jason Bailey’s December 2017 Artnome article ‘The Blockchain Art Market is Here’ was brought to my attention,” Feder recalled. “I was fascinated by the disruption that Bailey so aptly predicted: a booming digital art market; resale royalties create a more ethical way to reward artists for their work; and larger art audiences allow for democratic price levels.”

Bailey has now written a catalog entry for “Geometries.” Feder called his contribution “a true full-circle moment.”

Stella, a longtime ARS member who has also passionately argued on behalf of artists’ rights, completes the track. Feder told Artnews that his team was the first to respond when ARS released the preliminary feelers for Arsnl.

Although collectors can make credit card purchases through the platform, Arsnl will launch on the Ethereum blockchain. “We are very excited about the impending transition of Ethereum to a proof-of-stake chain, which will make it more environmentally friendly,” Feder said, referring to the blockchain’s software update set to take place on September 15.

Going forward, Arsnl will collaborate with artists within and outside ARS’s list of 122,000 global creatives. Future projects include drops from Leonora Carrington, LeRoy Neiman, and a collaboration between Quilters of Gees’s Bend and generative artist Anna Lucia.

Although Feder will not reveal how many names are on the waiting list for Stella’s upcoming 2,200 digital works, you can try and register here.

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