Exhibits that come to life are enough to keep visitors captivated in futuristic and digital museums. This is precisely what the world’s first museum dedicated to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which launched on January 14 in Seattle, US, has to offer.
The Seattle NFT Museum is a prime illustration of the worldwide buzz and fascination that blockchain-based digital artworks have sparked in recent years.
What does the NFT Museum Feature?
The vast 278.7-square-meter museum is very much a real institution, even though its contents are in digital form and are sold using bitcoins. It features original NFT artworks and information on the technology used to produce them. Each display is precisely linked to its metadata and artist, providing visitors comprehensive information about the work.
“Viewing digital art in a tangible environment helps ground the NFT experience, opening our imaginations for what is to come,” according to the museum’s official website. The designers of the Seattle NFT Museum recognized an opportunity to bring together the digital art and NFT communities while also offering exposure and education.”
“Art on display at the Seattle NFT Museum is sourced from artists, makers, galleries, and collectors and is stored on the blockchain. It says, “You can expect our exhibition calendar to be jam-packed with influential works from around the world and right here in Seattle.”
The museum’s current featured artist is Blake Kathryn, a Los Angeles-based artist whose futuristic 3D landscapes in pastels have made her a sensation in the crypto world. Other works on display include CryptoPunks avatars by Larva Labs, Chromie Squiggles by Eric Calderon (a.k.a. Snowfro), and works by generative artist Tyler Hobbs and several Seattle-based artists, including Neon Saltwater, Robbie Trevino, and photographer Charles Peterson. He has “minted” never-before-seen photographs of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain into NFTs.
“Before NFTs, digital art was severely underrepresented due to the right-click-save-as aspect of the medium,” Hamilton explained. “So many of these artists have gone unnoticed and undervalued. And we’re just very eager to start bringing those types of artists more attention and focusing on their medium, practice, and inspiration, just as you would with a painter, but with their digital paintbrush.”
Museum Experience and Exhibitions
The Seattle NFT Museum, which aims to make NFTs more accessible and understandable, features exhibitions worldwide and local artists, providing visitors with a never-before-seen experience.
The highlighted artworks are displayed on ultra-high-definition walls in vibrant colors, transcending physical space. The dynamic NFTs move incessantly, giving onlookers the impression of entering the NFT realm.
The website also adds, “From 85″ to 32″ across portrait and landscape orientations, with over 30 high-tech screens showcasing digital artwork. This immersive gallery’s basis is built on the excellence of these exhibits.”
The Founders and Featured Artists
Jennifer Wong and Peter Hamilton, both art enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs, founded the museum to foster community.
“The inventiveness of NFT artists and innovators is exciting,” Wong says.
We wanted to develop a location to support the NFT community while promoting Seattle as a blockchain and NFT innovation hotspot. We’re not experts, and we’re here to learn just as much as the rest of you. That is why, to keep growing the vision, we rely on the comments and support of NFT aficionados.”
Many NFT collections by well-known artists such as Blake Kathryn, Neon Saltwater, Charles Peterson, and Robbie Trevino are on display.
When to Visit?
The Seattle NFT Museum is located at 2125 1st Avenue in the heart of Belltown.
The museum is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The museum hosts several events and discussions for which tickets are available. Whether you drop in or make an appointment, you’ll be welcomed into a world that will change how you think about art, assets, and investments.
Conclusion
While their content is easily copied, the NFT is “the original,” similar to how there are numerous prints of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Still, only the Louvre museum contains the original.
In recent months, investors and affluent collectors have flocked to the latest digital fad based on the same blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrency. NFTs have fetched record prices at recent auctions, including US$69.3 million for a digital sculpture by artist Beeple at Christie’s.
Like all new technology, they have skeptics; some reject them as a fad or, worse, as something comparable to the Emperor’s New Clothes. On the other hand, visitors of the museum reported feeling something real.
But if you still feel unsure about the whole NFT thing, you can always stick to BUSD stablecoin or regular cryptos that you can get over at crypto exchanges.
