ONE / OFF has created the first virtual Black Arts District on the blockchain dedicated to supporting innovation, experimentation, collective learning, and creative entrepreneurship with NFTs.
The Black Arts District
Explore The District
Overview
This initiative brings together an interdisciplinary community of creative entrepreneurs, artists, curators, and cultural institutions from across the African diaspora to explore what it means to create immersive digital or hybrid (physical + digital) spaces as an innovative way to engage audiences online and showcase cultural assets developed on the blockchain. Housed on more than 30 parcels of virtual land acquired by ONE / OFF within the Cryptovoxels metaverse, a virtual world powered by the Ethereum blockchain, this Black Arts + Culture Ecosystem provides the space necessary for residents to play, risk, fail, learn, and grow in the emerging cryptomedia field.
Engaging in a six-month program that runs annually from February through August residents participate in cryptovoxels training sessions; community project review sessions; peer-to-peer learning; and critical discourse about best practices and emerging trends in the cryptomedia space. An annual Block Party and other community events offer residents opportunities to present their work in the metaverse to the public so the cultural and economic knowledge they generate is accessible to the next generation.
Our Vision
As stated in the 2016 academic essay “Black Placemaking: Celebration, Play, and Poetry”, Black placemaking refers to the ways that Black people create sites of endurance, belonging, and resistance through social interaction. Drawing inspiration from sovereign Black communities, ONE / OFF sees the Black Arts District as an opportunity to leverage blockchain and NFTs to create an intentional intervention against the systemically racist practices of traditional and digital redlining by using culturally-specific virtual placemaking as a conduit for economic empowerment.
ONE / OFF Presents:
The Black Arts District’s Genesis Cohort
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Adama Delphine Fawundu
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Ameer "Sirsu" Suhayb Carter
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Ben Harriott
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Black Scranton Project
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Craig Blackmoore
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David J. Butler
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Frewuhn
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Harrison First
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Jason Woodberry
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JOMEGA
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Lady PheOnix
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Micah Johnson
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Tiona Nekkia McClodden
Interested in Supporting the Black Arts District?
We at ONE / OFF are excited to have you here to view, bear witness, and verify for the immutable record that a burgeoning Black Arts + Culture ecosystem exists on the blockchain. To generate the revenue needed to grow this initiative we’ve created 125 Founding / Collector memberships for those interested in the sustainable development of this community as the Cryptomedia movement continues to grow.
Each membership is memorialized as a unique non-fungible token (NFT) that records this important moment of time and will identify the collectors who committed to helping the Black Arts District succeed. Additionally, Founding / Collectors will be invited to early exhibition previews, private Art talks, and to join our Black Art Discord channel for opportunities to engage directly with residents and receive updates on events added to the community calendar.
ONE / OFF is committed to ensuring Black Arts + Cultural Institutions have the awareness and resources necessary to take advantage of the unique opportunity cryptomedia presents to create jobs for the next generation of Arts Workers and encourage creative entrepreneurship on the blockchain. Becoming a Founding / Collectors is a way to document your early commitment to supporting this vision.
A Special Thanks to Our Existing
Founding Collectors:
Cuy Sheffield - Head of Crypto, Visa
Meltem Demirors - Chief Strategy Officer, Coinshares
Ollen Douglass - Managing Director, Motley Fool Ventures