Panel Discussion: What's the Story with NFTs?

Presented as part of the Countdown to CAA Day 2022

What's the story with NFTs? You've read about them in the news - Beeples' work selling for $69 million at auction, how they break the mold of the traditional art world, how they work to build equity in the traditionally less than equitable art world. Or maybe you've read about the downsides - that they are exclusive, they're bad for the environment, and that they perpetuate traditional norms. And you might wonder what *exactly* is an NFT, how they are made, and maybe even why you should care about them in the first place.

In this panel, we hope to wade through the emergent world of NFTs, set some records straight, and provide you with food for thought - and to allow you to draw your own conclusions about the ongoing role of non-fungible tokens in the art world.  

Panelists: 

Steve Bennett is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based visual artist. He began taking photographs more than 50 years ago in the age of film and transitioned to digital photography in the late 90s. In addition to creating two-dimensional art, Steve works with a motion-design partner to create large-scale multimedia pieces. His traditional and abstract composites have been displayed in solo exhibits as well as in local and national juried events. Steve’s artwork has also been shown at Google’s Kendall Square (Cambridge, MA) offices, and in various Boston-based software, biotech, and financial services companies. His multimedia collaborations have been featured on the 80-foot tall external LCD wall and the interior 160- foot wide screen at the Boston Convention Center, and is regularly displayed on the 30-foot video wall at the CambridgeSide mall. Learn more about Steve.
 

Demetri Espinosa is a painter and digital artist based in Boston, MA. He holds a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design where he studied painting and printmaking. His work has been featured in The Boston Globe, Studio Visit Magazine, and numerous other publications. In addition to his studio practice he is also Co-Director of BOSSCRITT, a critique and curatorial club for emerging artists. Learn more about Demetri.

Austin Schofield is a photographer based around Boston, MA. He focuses primarily on capturing street photography in and around the city of Boston, but also dabbles in landscape work through his travels around the States. Austin takes heavy influence from painters in the impressionist-era, and outspokenly tries portraying elements of these works in his photography. Learn more about Austin.

Kishore Vasan is a PhD student at the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University working with Professor Albert-László Barabási. He is broadly interested in studying complex systems and how it governs network processes at different scales. His research interests can be grouped into two areas: (1) networks in the virtual world: analyzing the emergence of NFT marketplaces and quantifying user behavior on the blockchain. (2) networks driving innovation: examining the social processes that influence funding decisions by institutions and its impact on science advancement. Learn more about Kishore.

Maximum attendees: 90

Register using the ZOOM link above. This event is free and open to all but you can support future events like this with a donation in support of CAA on CAA DAY - Friday, May 20th.