FIRST-EVER NFT MUSEUM IS OPEN FOR EXPLORATION

THE FIRST-EVER NFT MUSEUM IS OPEN FOR EXPLORATION

VISITORS CAN VIEW DIGITAL ART AND GATHER WITH OTHERS IN THE BLOCKCHAIN COMMUNITY

For Jennifer Wong and Peter Hamilton, spouses who started their careers in blockchain start-ups and cryptocurrencies, opening the Seattle NFT Museum, a space devoted to NFT (nonfungible token) digital art, was the perfect way to marry their love of art and technology.

“This is a place where art and technology come together in an incredible way,” Hamilton says of the museum, which opened in 2021 and is located two blocks north of Pike Place Market.

The couple are community-focused entrepreneurs who live in the neighborhood, too.

“We also realized that there wasn’t a place focused on education, curation, and community,” Hamilton says. “And that’s something we want to contribute to this ecosystem.”

And, while there are numerous galleries around the globe that display digital art in its many forms, Wong says this is the first-ever museum dedicated to NFT art itself. It’s also the first place designed to bring together artists, creators, collectors, IP owners, and the broader blockchain community.

“Creating a physical space to house digital art was very important to us,” Wong says. “There’s so much interest in NFTs and NFT art from the general public and, while the average person may not search online to learn about NFTs, it’s easy for them to peek inside our door and learn about a new world of artists they may not have heard about before.”

The Seattle NFT Museum hosts exhibits featuring influential artists and coveted collections. The space is also available for events, including live mintings, auctions, fundraisers, meetups, and more.

This is important to the founders because there are lots of misconceptions about NFTs, despite the fact that NFTs are making a historic impact on artists of every medium and practice, with a reported $25 billion in sales in 2021.

“We hope visitors to the museum learn that NFTs are a utility for artists to use and that they’re a means for artists to connect directly to collectors in new ways,” Hamilton says. “Some have seen this as adversarial or juxtaposed against what artists are trying to do, but they’re really a great way for artists to build a global audience and distribute a digital work that doesn’t have to have a physical form.”

Added to the mission is a sustainability component, and the founders feel they have a great opportunity to highlight some of the new and innovative solutions to this issue.

“When you dig into the technology behind NFT art, it’s important to address sustainability as a critical topic,” Wong says. “We wanted to highlight this as part of the conversation because we know there are so many artists, nonprofits, and blockchains trying to solve the problem of energy usage.”

In fact, as Wong says, emerging technologies to make NFTs more energy-efficient are already developing. In addition, the museum is the first to apply to be a signatory of The Climate Pledge, which means it’s committed to net-zero emissions by 2040.

Beyond the exhibits, which feature influential artists and coveted collections, the space is also available for events, including live mintings, auctions, fundraisers, meetups, and more.

For Hamilton, the exciting part is getting feedback from visitors.

“We have people coming through the space who are from all walks of life,” he says. “They might be avid contemporary art collectors, they might be stepping into the art world for the first time, or they’re just learning about NFTs. Either way, this is a wonderful place for anyone to engage with the technology and art represented at the museum—and learn a lot along the way.”

Guests to the museum include avid art collectors, NFT experts, and those just learning about both sectors.