art / 319 posts found
AI Lawsuits Are Here, and They Could Change Everything
In 2021, OpenAI released the first version of DALL-E, forever altering how we think about images, art, and the ways in which we collaborate with machines. Using deep learning models, the AI system output images based on text prompts — users could create anything from a romantic shark wedding to a puffer fish who swallowed an atomic bomb. DALL-E 2 followed in mid-2022, using a diffusion model that allowed it to render far more realistic images than its predecessor. The tool soon went viral, but this was just the beginning for AI art generators. Midjourney, an independent research lab in the […]
From Rap to Web3: Heno’s Journey to Ignite Social Change
Ethiopian-Eritrean rapper Heno grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, at the nexus of multiple worlds. As an honor roll student with street smarts, Heno experienced both the privileges and injustices of his environment. His family’s apartment was located next to his elementary and middle schools, a library, and a police station — a combination of places that would shape his perspective on life. As a child, Heno explains that one of his earliest memories involved a traumatic encounter with the police when they unlawfully entered his home, shining a flashlight and pointing a gun at him. He says he was […]
Upcoming Drops: March 27 – April 2
Let’s face it: The NFT space moves really fast. Considering how quickly things can change in the metaverse, a week in NFTs might as well be a month IRL. Don’t get us wrong — the more people onboarded into the space, the merrier. But because of the constant influx of great art and ideas, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the news, launches, and general happenings. Well, you can put the days of endless Twitter and Discord scrolling behind you as we pull together a weekly list of upcoming NFT drops you definitely don’t want to miss. […]
The Story of NFTs: Artists, Technology, and Democracy (Review)
The significant drop in the price of Bitcoin from $47,000 to $16,000 in 2022, along with a related fall in the average price of NFT art from $3,200 in 2021 to $1,200 in late 2022, led many commentators to declare a “crypto winter.” But, the authors of The Story of NFTs: Artists, Technology, and Democracy, a new book released on March 7 with Rizzoli — offer a different metaphor. Co-author Amy Whitaker told nftnow that the structure of NFTs and crypto is similar to hiking in Yosemite, where there had been a forest fire several years earlier. “The giant trees […]
Quantum: The Story Behind the World’s First NFT
Despite what many may believe, NFT art didn’t start with the Bored Ape Yacht Club. It also didn’t start with CryptoPunks. So what was the first NFT, and who created it? Ultimately, this singular honor goes to Quantum, a generative piece of art that was created by digital artists Jennifer and Kevin McCoy. After its creation, Quantum was subsequently turned into an NFT by Kevin in 2014. And the reason he minted this particular piece of art? It’s really rather simple. He did it for ownership. The birth of NFTs After he and his wife created Quantum, McCoy wanted to […]
MoonPay and Julie Pacino Partner on First Film Inspired by NFT-Native Photography
The Alpha Crypto payment platform MoonPay announced that it will partner with filmmaker, producer, and photographer Julie Pacino on her upcoming movie, I Live Here Now, according to a press release shared with nft now. The company will serve as Co-Executive Producer. The film marks Pacino’s feature-length directorial debut and is based on her 2021 NFT photography collection of the same name. Its production makes it the first NFT-native photography IP to inspire a film. Funded in part by Pacino’s follow-up collection to I Live Here Now, Keepers of the Inn, the film has yet to receive a release date […]
Upcoming Drops: March 20-26
Let’s face it: The NFT space moves really fast. Considering how quickly things can change in the metaverse, a week in NFTs might as well be a month IRL. Don’t get us wrong — the more people onboarded into the space, the merrier. But because of the constant influx of great art and ideas, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the news, launches, and general happenings. Well, you can put the days of endless Twitter and Discord scrolling behind you, as we pull together a weekly list of upcoming NFT drops you definitely don’t want to miss. […]
The Creators of the First NFT Talk New Collection, Web3 Future
Jennifer and Kevin McCoy need little introduction. Ten years ago, the acclaimed artists introduced the world to Quantum, the first art NFT ever created. Quantum found its home on the Namecoin blockchain in 2014, when Kevin McCoy decided to mint it as an NFT to establish the provenance of the digital image. The Web3 world might see minting an NFT for such a reason as a banality these days, but in 2014, the idea was revolutionary. Provenance documents for digital art didn’t exist at the time, and Quantum showed the world that blockchain technology could solve the problem of ownership […]
Misan Harriman Shares His Vision for a More Equitable Web3
Five years ago, Misan Harriman picked up a camera for the first time. Three years ago, he became the first Black man to shoot a cover for British Vogue in the magazine’s 104-year history. Today, he’s on a mission to use Web3 to level the playing field for artists around the world. As someone who’s struggled with dyslexia and was afraid to pick up his camera for years, Harriman’s journey is as much about personal and artistic growth as it is about the democratizing potential of blockchain technology. Finding his artistic voice Shortly after he picked up his camera for […]
Op-ed: The NFT Space Won’t Grow If We Continue to Cater to Speculators
When I got involved with NFTs in 2018, it was an extremely different industry. There was almost no venture capital. At the time, the NFT space felt distinct from the rest of crypto. There was a sense that NFTs were the real use case that crypto needed — not just something to speculate on like ICOs, or a tool to make speculation easier like DeFi. Fast forward to today, and things couldn’t be more different. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but around the middle of 2021, NFTs fully merged with the rest of the crypto world. They became […]