The Colorado Capitol building hosts the first NFT art exhibition in a US statehouse
A new art exhibit featuring NFTs created by Colorado artists and collaborators opened this week at the Colorado State Capitol building in downtown Denver. Organizers say it’s the first time a US statehouse has hosted an NFT art exhibit.
Annie Phillips, founder of IRL Art, the local NFT gallery that curated the show, says it’s only natural that Colorado’s statehouse is an early adopter when it comes to NFT art.
“Out of any state in the United States, Colorado is really at the forefront of proactive support for blockchain technology,” she said. “Why we’re the first state to have an NFT exhibit is that there’s just been a lot of cooperation and support.”
Phillips says support for blockchain technology in Colorado is coming from the top. “Our governor is a tech entrepreneur. There is also a state-level Blockchain Innovation Council.” She also points to the Colorado ID app. “It’s all powered by blockchain.”
The theme of the exhibition is the general public. Phillips says that means “the really good things that our tax dollars go to. Things like recreation centers and libraries and transportation.”
Phillips says NFTs are an interesting lens to explore the topic of public good, despite recent upheavals in the crypto space. She says the public good “is a very powerful aspect of the philanthropic, humanitarian, altruism that’s happening in the crypto space. There are a lot of really incredible projects and communities and efforts being made to fund the common good.”
The artwork is on display in the State House Rotunda and in the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Phillips hopes the theme of the artwork will have a positive influence on state legislators passing by.
“January is when [legislative] sessions start, these offices are going to be heavily used. And that artwork will be seen by all the people who work hard on policy and legislation,” she said.
Visitors to the exhibition may be surprised to see some of the NFT artworks on physical canvases. But Philips says that the artwork lives on the blockchain and that the physical canvas is almost beside the point. “When you buy NFT [that’s] the verifiable ownership of that image. Basically, the canvas is in a way just the icing on the cake.”
The State Capitol NFT exhibit “Public Good” was curated by the Golden Triangle Creative District and IRL Art. It will be on display at the Colorado Statehouse through April 30. The main section of the exhibition is open to the public. Appointments are required to view the portions of the exhibit located in the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
