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Twelve Global Institutions Selected for Web3 for the Arts and Culture Fellowship Program

Twelve Global Institutions Selected for Web3 for the Arts and Culture Fellowship Program

Supported by the Tezos Foundation, We Are Museums and TZ Connect are proud to announce the selection of twelve global arts and cultural institutions for the Web3 for the Arts and Culture (WAC) Fellowship program, in collaboration with LAL ART:

ACMI – Australian Centre for the Moving Image (Australia), Belvedere Museum (Austria), Haus der Kunst München (Germany), HEK – House of Electronic Arts (Switzerland), French Ministry of Culture (France), Institute for Sound and Music (Germany), Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie (France), Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka), National Taras Shevchenko Museum (partnering with ArtAegis and Modern Art Research Institute) (Ukraine), The Reel Store (United Kingdom), The Royal College of Art (United Kingdom) and the Wooko Makandie Foundation (The Netherlands). 

This innovation laboratory aims to educate and onboard these institutions onto Web3, with a focus on using blockchain technology to further their missions for culture preservation, social good, environmental justice, and financial stability.

“As arts institutions navigate the current climate, Web3 offers a new world of challenges and opportunities,” said Diane Drubay, Founder of WAC Lab. “Our goal is to work with these institutions to explore how they can use blockchain technology in innovative ways to achieve their goals and build a sustainable future.”

The WAC Fellowship program will provide participants with a comprehensive education in  blockchain basics with lectures, workshops, and mentoring sessions with experts in the field.

The program will delve into blockchain technology’s use for the culture sector, its impact on identity and security, its legal and social implications, and its intersection with the world of video games.

The program will also cover Web3 communications and community, and provide an opportunity to explore the do-it-yourself aspects of blockchain development.

A special research track will be led by a team from the French Ministry of Culture focusing on royalties permanence and interoperability in the blockchain.

Fanny Lakoubay, collaborator of WAC Lab and founder of LAL ART, adds: “More than ever, art institutions need better guidance to navigate the Web3 space to understand what tools are in line with their audience and mission. At WAC, we believe this must be done via thorough discussions, education, and custom prototyping.“

Additionally, fellows will be connected to blockchain integrators to turn their ideas into prototypes ready to be developed.

This will contribute to the rich landscape of open-source tools for builders to experiment with on the energy-efficient Tezos blockchain.

A success story from the previous cohort is the Light Art Space Foundation exhibition, “Life After BOB” by Ian Cheng, which featured a fully integrated live minting NFT experience.

The Light Art Space foundation team was eager to experiment further with blockchain technology after the WAC Fellowship, and TZ Connect provided support to bring the idea to completion.

“This is an exciting time for the arts and culture sector as we explore the possibilities of Web3 technology,” said Kristina Leipold, Director of Light Art Space gGmbH, alumni of the first cohort of fellows. “We are thrilled about the potential this program holds, for our institution and so many others.”

You can also join the free weekly online discussions about Web3 for the arts and culture co-hosted by Fanny Lakoubay and Diane Drubay by registering here.

The WAC Fellowship program is made possible with the support from the Tezos Foundation and began on January 26th, 2023.

The current cohort is currently live until June 2023. The next call for applicants will open in September 2023. 

To learn more about WAC Lab, visit https://wac-lab.xyz/