Weekly Recap - 79Au

79AU | 9.10 – 15

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

Merge Update

The buzz in the Cryptospace has been all about the Ethereum Merge. As of today, September 15th, the Merge has transitioned the Ethereum protocol from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake in order to create sustainable scalability within the protocol as the web3 space continues to grow and thrive.

So what does this mean for your NFT portfolio as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust?

The good news is that your creations and collections on Mint Gold Dust will continue to remain on-chain with provenance intact. Mint Gold Dust is built solely on Ethereum and has fortified the platform in preparation for the transition.

To ensure a smooth transition, Mint Gold Dust has temporarily paused all mint, bidding, and purchase activities through 9/16/22 at 12pm EST.

Halting activities is a proactive measure to ensure that while we make any necessary changes to our site, lost or hanging transactions can be avoided. We appreciate your patience during this historic event.

Learn more about The Merge here.

Christopher Scott Carpenter and the Galápagos Islands

Christopher Scott Carpenter is a photographer and documentarian based in New York City by way of Salt Lake City, Utah. He holds a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China as a recipient of the Schwarzman Scholarship, a highly-selective full-ride scholarship that assembles a diverse global cohort to study cultural, political, and economical through-lines to better understand the world of tomorrow. Additionally, he has earned a Bachelor of Arts from University of Southern California for Film & Television Production.

Today, he is producing and directing documentary films and has recently been working on the Galápagos Islands as a Wildlife Photographer.

Next week on September 22nd, a week after the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s maiden voyage to the Galápagos, Carpenter will be releasing a collection of his photographs from the Islands as NFTs, exclusively on Mint Gold Dust.

The collection shares a different side of the unique animals on the island while bringing awareness to their endangered species status. 40% of the proceeds from each sale will be going directly towards a local conservancy that empowers local environmental stewardship and educates the next generation of Island residents.

Each photo will be released as an edition run, encouraging animal and photography lovers alike to collect their favorites while directly supporting the animal behind the image.

We recently chatted with Carpenter to discuss his relationship with this animal subjects and the importance of collection. Check back on September 22nd for the full collection launch!

When you see something in the wild, what draws you to pull out your camera and capture a moment?

As with all my photography, I think my first priority is with the moment itself; in other words, deciding whether or not the events unfolding before my lens are compelling and interesting. I try to capture moments that re-contextualize the subject and offer a unique perspective from which to engage with it. Some of the images from this NFT project that come to mind are the sea lion posing regally – as if in a tuxedo – for a portrait with a small insect perched incongruously on his nose, or the Nazca Booby Bird gifting a small stone to his partner in an act of affection. Neither would readily be found in a typical Google Image search. Once the moment has grabbed my attention, all the other elements – composition, color, exposure, etc. – are utilized to best tell that story photographically.

Do you feel a connection or kinship with the animals you capture?

When I started observing the animals of the Galápagos, I was struck with how many “human” emotions were being exhibited – love, anger, playfulness, jealousy, annoyance, and so many more. A full tapestry of interaction was on display within each of these islands. As a result, I felt a huge amount of kinship with the animals because I had a front-row seat to watch just how similar we all are as creatures of the same global ecosystem.

What inspires you about the Galápagos Islands in particular?

The Galápagos Islands are populated by a remarkable mixture of misfits and oddballs. Each animal in the archipelago has a unique set of evolutionary characteristics that allow it to survive on a rock outcropping in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The marine iguanas, for example, are found nowhere else on Earth; they proliferated across the Galápagos because their distant ancestors, having been set adrift from somewhere along the western coast of South America, figured out the mechanics and advantages of swimming. As a result, the islands are charming in their weirdness and rarity.

Tell us a bit about the conservancy you’re raising money for? Where will the funds be directed?

While on assignment for Quasar Expeditions in the Galápagos I met and developed friendships with several of the accredited nature guides who act as stewards of the environment and educators of the guests. One guide in particular, Lola, told me about two organization she is part of, the International Galápagos Tour Operators Association and the Galápagos Guides Association, and their current efforts to raise funds to construct a library on the central and most populated island of the Galápagos, Santa Cruz. The library, if funded, will provide to the populations of the Galápagos equal access to science education . On an island archipelago where an understanding of the natural world is crucial to the maintenance and protection of the ecosystems, the library will expand economic opportunities for the peoples of the Galápagos, will enable and empower environmental stewardship, and will generate discourse around important issues like sustainable and destructive tourism and the climate crisis.

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide to get started. Ready to start minting? Apply to talk with our curatorial team today.

Last week on 79Au, we announced our new Discord channel, #CryptoCorner, created to educate and test your knowledge on all things web3. Join our Discord to show off your skills and stay in the loop on all things Mint Gold Dust today!

Weekly Recap

79AU | 9.2 – 9

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

ER’s style is a mix of vibrant colors, fanciful elements and composition that gives his work a feeling of movement. He aims for his work to be a force of positivity and inspiration into the world.

His digital mural Here We Go is a collaboration with ATX DAO, an ongoing public art fund based in Austin.

A portion of the sales of this artwork will fund future public art projects in the Austin area, and all holders will be given governance rights in the DAO.

Level Up with #CryptoCorner

The new crypto frontier is providing a wealth of new opportunities across industry, but for someone wanting to get involved for the first time, it can often seem overwhelming. In a constantly evolving environment where new technologies and ideas are emerging daily, staying up to date can be a challenge, but we at Mint Gold Dust want to help navigate you through the noise.

We are passionate about educating people about the tools of web3 and crypto, arming them with the knowledge to jumpstart their crypto education. The very ethos of web3 centers around decentralization and shared knowledge, and we believe that giving people equal opportunity and free access is an essential part of that.

In that vein, we’ve made changes to the Mint Gold Dust Discord to better help artists, collectors, and the curious to feel confident in beginning and continuing their journey in the crypto space. Our new #CryptoCorner is a dynamic and evolving space dedicated to learning the essentials and exploring deeper concepts of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs in a community setting.

The information is available to anyone who joins our Discord and covers key and trending topics split into increasing levels of difficulty. The concepts are written to be easily digestible with the intent of spurring discourse and further independent exploration.

Think you’ve mastered a level? Take our interactive, timed quiz and earn a new Discord role to show off your skills. Your points are recorded automatically, and you’ll be competing against others within the community for the top spot on the leaderboard as the educational space grows. We’ll continue adding to our knowledge bank as the space evolves, providing you a reliable resource to come back to.

To start our quizzes after completing the reading material, a Mint Gold Dust moderator can generate a quiz session for you. You’re also welcome to use the short code commands built into our Discord to trigger them yourself. Your scores are automatically ranked within the community on our leaderboards, and you can check your standing at any time. With the completion of each level, you will gain a new role in our server; Novice, Intermediate, and Expert that will help you stand out in the community.

We can’t wait to help you jumpstart your crypto education through our Crypto Corner and will be here to help and answer any questions along the way.

CREATIVE COMMONS: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN NFTS

By Mint Gold Dust’s Community Manager, Dylan

There has been a buzz steadily growing in the NFT Space, and the concept of CC0 (Creative Commons) projects have come under intense scrutiny. Creative Commons are not a new idea, but they inherently contradict the definition of conventional NFTs by waiving the legal rights of published works and moving them into the public domain. This idea has gained traction in an effort to decentralize as it essentially puts the interest of the majority above the self.

In the Cryptoverse, this manifests as the greenlight for derivative projects using works “owned” by another individual to legally be mass reproduced and sold even if the original work was purchased with the assumption they would own all corresponding intellectual properties.

The resulting discourse has created two camps- those that embrace the idea of CC0, and those that feel, for lack of a better term, rugged.

Existing CC0 projects have secured a foothold in the market, and tend to be recognizable due to their widespread communities and quantity of derivatives. TinyDinos is an example of a community based project that has leaned heavily into the idea and holds it as a cornerstone of their assets. TinyDinos are a CC0 omnichain NFT which minted for free across 7 different blockchains and can be transferred between each.

This specific project type has allowed for innovation in the NFT Space. As derivatives became more abundant, new ideas surrounded what could be done without the limitations of strict intellectual property rights and the community was able to enjoy their NFTs used in new games, merchandise, and an event they coined as CC0 Summer. This was a new concept that allowed their NFTs to traverse cross-chain and return with new and rare attributes with the ability to be converted back to their original state by traversing back before a predetermined date. At current writing, TinyDinos has performed 4.2k ETH in volume, and the project continues to grow with the formation of rawrDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization coined with the cheeky tagline, “no rights reserved.”

While there has been success with projects that have been advertised as CC0 from their initial minting, Moonbirds, a successful collection of utility-enabled PFPs, ruffled some feathers in early august with the announcement they’d be moving to a CC0 public license without first allowing their community to express their opinions. Moonbirds owner Kevin Rose cited the necessity for the change as the move “honors and respects the values of the internet and web3 and starts a new and important phase of the project”. To individuals who had bought into the project with the knowledge they would retain exclusive ownership of their purchased artwork and were free to establish their own restrictions and limitations for use, the sudden change sent a shockwave through the community.

IP rights in the space are still being explored and established, but a large draw to artwork based NFTs is the potential for commercial rights to your token. Moonbirds specifically promoted this idea in a series of tweets and announcements that owning a Moonbird opened collectors to a host of new possibilities that could be monetized using the rights to an individual bird. This has put owners and potential owners at odds. The reception from existing Moonbirds holders was overwhelmingly negative, while would-be collectors and creators celebrated the ability to freely create derivative works without concern for royalties.

As IP rights, CC0 projects, and traditional mints continue to be discussed and defined in an ever changing environment like the NFT space, it is important for collectors to remain knowledgeable about the types of collections and marketplaces they purchase.

Mint Gold Dust, for example, is not a Creative Commons Zero marketplace. NFT’s purchased through us allow for the buyer to retain exclusive rights to their collection as they have purchased the original work. Each token can only have one owner at a time, and royalties/permissions can only be granted by the owner as listed on-chain.

This more traditional NFT production and sales model affords artists and content creators a unique opportunity to monetize their work. For example, artists no longer have to rely on galleries or auction houses to sell their art. Instead, the artist can sell it directly to the consumer as an NFT, which also lets them keep more of the profits. At Mint Gold Dust, we offer artists the chance to choose their desired royalty percentage for secondary sales on the platform, giving the artists the selling power.

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide to get started. Ready to start minting? Apply to talk with our curatorial team today.

Miss our recent post about our Curated Spaces feature? Catch up here and check out our marketplace to browse new mints.

Weekly Recap

79AU | 8.20-26

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

“In my graduating show in University I used black industrial paints to create the final image in my mixed media paintings.

I had a very bad arthritic flare prior to our gallery grad show in University and couldn’t use my hands properly. I ended up painting on a series of found objects that I turned into canvasses, some were supported with hockey sticks. I did a series of drip paintings I created using old brushes and utensils to drop paint from above to the canvas on the ground. I was unable to paint a proper brushstroke. Black industrial paint finished each piece. I have enjoyed coming back to that from time to time and now digitally.” -Rakkaus Art

Curated Spaces on Mint Gold Dust

This week on 79Au, we revisit our post on our Curated Spaces feature, a tool that allows artists to be their own galleries and curators on Mint Gold Dust.

Curated Spaces is Mint Gold Dust’s home for art projects, guest curations, and artist collections. This space was created to promote collaboration, foster community, and tell stories in the NFT space.

As an artist, you now have the space to host your own virtual exhibitions, giving you the power to be your own curator. Collections can be built around a theme, a style, or even a poem. Think of Curated Spaces as a tool to further tell your story as an artist.

The first artist on our platform to use this feature is Wanda Oliver. Wanda is an experimental photographer and collage artist based in Texas. Since joining Mint Gold Dust, she has minted two triptychs, Blue Planet #1–3 and Believe in Pink #1–3. Both projects were created using Chemigram techniques on vintage photographic papers. The end result is then fine tuned using digital retouching methods such as color enhancement and isolating details.

“The results are a wild and free mixture of old and new, art and science, analog and digital — all in the service of exploring the limits and possibilities of light, chemistry, and bits.” — Wanda Oliver

For her Curated Space, Photography with an Edge, she exhibits both triptychs, highlighting the beauty of the experimental technique and sharing her inspirations along the way.

Curated Spaces will also now be home to Mint Gold Dust auction curations, special projects, gallery partnerships, and collaborations. Recently, we launched a collection with Cryptic Gallery, showcasing their debut NFT collection, Murals on the Chain.

Cryptic Gallery is a street art gallery and web3 studio based in Poughkeepsie, NY. For years, they have been hosting mural events in their backyard, but it was always a bittersweet moment to paint over older murals to make way for new ones. By documenting, animating, and minting these vibrant works on chain, they can now come alive on the walls of the metaverse.

With Curated Spaces, they are able to expand their physical gallery into a digital 24/7 always on gallery.

Check out more of our recent Curated Spaces here.

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide to get started. Ready to start minting? Apply to talk with our curatorial team today.

Miss our series on AI artworks? Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 here.

Weekly Recap

79AU | 8.12-19

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

Arabella is an artist and author living with terminal cancer, navigating what that means for her digital legacy. Her work is inspired by portraiture, the history of medicine, and biomorphic abstraction.

Inspired by the tradition of Pop Surrealism, Peering from the Crush is a vision of a woman that never was looking into another dimension.

AI ART – CREATION OR REPLICATION?

PART 2 – CREATION

This month, we began our series of installments exploring the concepts of AI art in the NFT space. With the increase and accessibility of new AI tools, the NFT market has been subject to a rise in AI generated art, but it hasn’t all been met with praise. The general argument against AI art is that it’s recreating rather than creating. Last week, we did a deep dive into the opposing camp. Today, we are going to explore the affirmative school of thought.

By design, AI generators are built to take in massive amounts of information and create something new with it. The question posed by the community is, does pushing a few buttons equate to making art?

This is the same criticism that arose at the turn of the 20th century when photography was more widely induced into society. Prior to the 19th century, the traditional European canon of art revered realism, fine line, and true to life color and tones. Fast forward to the end of the 1800s, more perspective play and nuance were introduced. The artworks were full of emotion, color, and imagination. There are various reasons this shift began to take place, but one that cannot be overlooked is the introduction of photography. Photography was able to capture the likeness of the world around us like never before. With such realism possible, there was less of a need for artists to paint only what they saw. Artists now had the opportunity to express themselves more freely by painting what they felt.

More than that, photography was able to capture human experience in a way that had never been done before. Introduced at the dawn of WWI, people suddenly had a way of seeing what was happening on the Western Front more vividly than ever before. The power in the use of photography during the war can not be understated. The images opened the world’s eyes to the reality of a shared experience, tugged at their heart strings, and made them question the nature of humanity.

But not everyone was happy about the new medium and viewed it as competition to other artforms. Naysayers refused to recognize photography as art and accused it of “cheating” since the photographer was clicking a button instead of picking up a paint brush.

This same resistance is being echoed in the current use of algorithms to create art purposed for NFTs. AI artist Claire Silver recently spoke to NFT Now about the topic and remarked, “The idea of effort being the measure by which art matters, like the amount of manual labor or hard work that you put in is what makes something art I take issue with. I think human expression is what I would value in art…”

What a lot of people don’t see is that the click of the shutter is at the end of the creation process for that photo. There were years of research, trial, testing, and computing that went into creating the camera. The mechanics of the camera is an artform, in the same way that the code of an AI is art. It was meticulously designed and trained by researchers and technologists, the artists of the code.

These human actions, the click of the shutter or the creation of phrases, are evidence of the artist’s hand. The photographer lines up the perfect shot, every element in the frame essential to the final product. The artist using AI crafts the perfect text to result in the final product, manipulating it until the output matches their vision.

Today, AI art is used as a tool for artists and writers alike to create new worlds. Earlier this month on Mint Gold Dust, artist and poet Joe Munisteri launched his genesis AI NFT collection, Butterfly Space Opera. The collection was created using various forms of AI, all inspired by classical modern art and nature. The project originally began as writing prompts for Munisteri’s poetry and after months of trial and error blossomed into a collection of works that juxtapose organic figures and shapes with the artificial hand of the AI generator. Each piece can be viewed as a scene from his own opera, filled with drama, tragedy, and spirit.

With this collection, Munisteri invites the viewer to experience AI artworks as a collaboration between man and the machine and challenges the traditional dogma of what is art. We recently chatted with him about the collection and the nuance of AI art. Check out the conversation below:

What inspired you to use AI for this collection?

As an artist I wanted to challenge my beliefs in what art is, but also as a tech enthusiast I really wanted to experiment and explore. I wanted to use AI as a learning opportunity to grow. As a writer, I really love AI as it allows me to create prompts and then see what can be made with them and then I can build off of the creations that come out. Also, from the perspective of both a writer and a person who is learning code, I found it very unique and interesting as the results that I would get would not be what I had expected and instead I found myself hitting some learning curves. This really came down to the way we word things and even down to which words were used first…This was something I learned very quickly while exploring AI for my collection and it really taught me alot about how coding is an art, just like writing is an art and also allowed me to have some fun with my ideas and works and play around with the words in my vocabulary and even challenge myself to learn new words.

What AI generator did you use and why did you choose it?

I experimented with A LOT of AI generators including Beta Testing DALL-E 2 among others but ultimately decided upon using “StarryAI” because I really enjoyed the outcomes that I would create and also I really enjoyed the options of having the ability to choose from multiple AI options and really like exploring and experimenting with all the different options and configurations. I definitely also noticed that each AI generator came up with VERY different results all for the same prompts, so I chose to go with what I liked the most and then really dug deep and explored across a few months of trial and error before I found the right wording.

Where does AI art fall in the canon of art to you?

Code is Art. simple as that. Just as we can view cooking as an art, Code is Art. Code can also be used as a tool to improve on our art. There are definitely times where I feel super self conscious about my art but then I also remind myself that I am using AI as a tool to improve my art and I shouldn’t and really can’t compare something like my doodles to my AI art because they are two very different art forms. I also am using my AI art to take writing prompts and bring them to life and then build stories through those pieces of art. Using AI as a tool like this is incredibly wonderful as it opens up the mind, and it creates a challenge while also removing some of the struggles as a writer such as the dreaded writer’s block, which does still occur but it’s also easier to overcome with an active imagination…The mind is a beautiful imaginative place and AI only amplifies what our minds tell the AI to do.

I believe AI is a great tool that really will help so many people in the future. We can choose to fight the robots, or we can dance with them, and I say, we should dance with them, for life is like a giant play.

Join the conversation of creation vs replication over on our Discord. and check out the full Butterfly Space Opera on Mint Gold Dust here.

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide to get started. Ready to start minting? Apply to talk with our curatorial team today.

Weekly Recap

79AU | 8.6-8.12

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

Joseph Munisteri, aka Butterflies in Space Joe, is an artist, writer, and technologist based in New York. Each piece in Munisteri’s latest collection “Butterfly Space Opera” was created using various forms of Artificial Intelligence, inspired by classical modern artists and nature.

Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing the rise of AI Art in the NFT Space. This week, our Community Manager shares an op-ed about the legal and ethical reasons people are opposed to the new art form. Check back next week for Part 2 where we will discuss why it could be considered a new part of the art canon.

AI ART – CREATION OR REPLICATION?

PART 1 – REPLICATION

While fully computer generated art can be considered relatively new to the NFT Space, artists have been using functional algorithms to create art based on strict rules and artistic disciplines for the last half a century. Like any new medium, there has been a lot of pushback and debate surrounding AI art in the community. The argument is over whether or not these algorithms create art or simply replicate art based on their programming. This week, we dive into a brief history of AI and explore the opposing camp.

One of the earliest documented forms of utilizing computers to generate artistic images dates back to 1973, with the introduction of the AARON [non-acronym] project by prolific painter and engineer, Harold Cohen. This project is considered one of the longest standing and maintained AI algorithms in history. Around the time of the program’s inception, Cohen’s work was spreading internationally; his art focused on the abstract, biomorphic forms, and he frequently worked with colors that closely mirrored the pop art movement that was sweeping the creative world.

Cohen’s goal was to use AARON to produce drawings that followed a specific set of rules he had created, similar to the traditional artist studio assistants model. He continued to develop and refine AARON for the rest of his career, but the program maintained its core design of performing tasks as directed by him. While the early output of the system was rough in a primitive sense, over time Cohen would take the time to color select pieces by hand. Together, Cohen and AARON produced thousands of images at varying scales- from 8 ½ x 11 sheets, to massive murals. Notable to this method was Cohen’s constant input of rules, and involvement in rounding and personalizing the final works. This method keeps the artist in control, and allows for a sense of human creativity to blend with a mechanically reproduced image. This differs slightly from the more modern forms of AI art that are widespread and recognizable today.

Most of the AI artworks that have emerged over the past few years have used a class of algorithms called generative adversarial networks, otherwise known as GANs. They’re considered to be “adversarial” because they are two sided functions. One generates a random image, and the other has been taught, in a manner of speaking, to judge the images based on specific inputs to assign it to specific categories. Another program, AICAN, takes the use of these adversarial networks a step further with the end goal of assessing how close a generated image is to its pre-curated reference pieces. The program has also been written to avoid creating images too similar to the assigned source. AICAN attempts to create unique art based on these guidelines, but it is limited by the constraints of the algorithm.

The works these programs generate are built upon predicated artworks that were influenced by the human condition. Without the existing art, these heterogenetic networks would be unable to create in the sense that we as humans understand creativity- computers lack the psychic structure necessary for such feats. There can be no assigned or understood meaning on behalf of the creator. In essence, the feelings and emotions that have inspired creatives are non-existent. Where do we draw the line without the element of human consciousness?

Instances of the ongoing battle to define the limitations of using other’s art as references and defining the protections associated with doing so are plentiful. As recently as 2019, the US Copyright Office handed down a ruling that an AI-created image lacked the human-authorship that could grant it the ability to be protected by copyright. As the law currently stands, only works created of intellectual labor can be provided such protections- and the USCO has continually maintained that non-human expression will remain ineligible based on case precedent. Similar suits have been brought to the US Patent and Trademark Office and the UK Intellectual Property Office with the rulings aligning with USCO standards. From a legal standing point, AI Art is recognized as the product of algorithmic input rather than the creative power of the human mind.

Traditional art, independent of a specific medium, is typically valued based on knowledge of whether or not it was produced by a favorable artist, or using a specific technique that results in a desirable outcome to a collector. Economists and psychologists who work to define the value in art agree that this can be summed as the terms of a piece’s authenticity. Authenticity, much like the art itself, can also be perseverated subjectively as the rise of “motivational” authenticity (otherwise known as artistic integrity) often comes into play when assigning value to work. This concept focuses on the “why,” and this is where skeptics of AI art find a foothold in defining their argument.

Altering existing art and claiming the resulting expression is owned as intellectual property by the individual who used the original piece as reference calls the ideas of authenticity and integrity into question. Artwork can be devalued based on the motivation of the creator. Was a piece commissioned? Was the original influence used with permissions and given proper recognition? Was the process influenced by a desire for money, fame, or social status? These abstract questions assist in the overall reception of art regardless of the quality of the final product. The intrinsic and extrinsic motivators must be evaluated with the rise of AI Technologies in art. As the programs themselves lack the ability to speak and act independently- the rationale of the programmers are what ultimately is called into question to consider moral and ethical ramifications of granting AI the credit of intellectual authorship.

As AI art continues to leak into modern markets, and collectors interested in embracing emerging technologies create demand, the schools of thought opposing and supporting the rise will continue to clash. As humans travail to define and regulate the field, the works of AI artists will continue raising questions about the nature of art and the role of true human creativity in future societies.

Check back next week to hear the affirmative side of the AI Art debate featuring a Q&A with artist and writer Joseph Munisteri who’s recent NFT collection features nine AI artworks.

Want more Mint Gold Dust? Catch up on previous editions of 79Au here and check out new mints on our marketplace.

Weekly Recap

79Au | 7.30-8.5

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

Rakkaus is an intuitive multimedia artist interested in creation, connection, compassion and storytelling. Constantly pushing boundaries and experimenting with various techniques and materials, each creation is vibrant and unique. with its own story.

“I create visual stories from the energy and experiences on my life journey, everything starts with a feeling.” – Rakkaus

This piece “Nail Biter” began as a mixed media digital abstract work and transformed into a figurative piece whose rich and vibrant colors create an interesting collision of textures and marks.

Portrait in memory of “Metal Face Doom.” This work was originally a mixed media painting on wood and was then animated by Cryptic Co.

MEMOIRS AT MINT GOLD DUST

At Mint Gold Dust, we believe that every NFT has a story, and our memoir feature is the place to do just that. The feature was created to bridge the gap between the artist and collector and track the artwork’s personal history through storytelling.

This week, we revisit our deep dive on how memoirs can benefit the artist and collector by building a provenance of commentary and discourse.

FOR ARTISTS

When an artist mints a new work on the platform, they are able to write a memoir entry that is attached to the work. This can be more info on what their inspiration was behind the piece, a story about the creation process, or even just their general feelings about the piece. It’s a place that allows artists to share their personal connection to the piece outside of the typical art description attached to the token.

FOR COLLECTORS

Once a collector buys a piece and holds the token, the memoir travels with it. The collector now has their own opportunity to add on to the story that was started by the artist and share their connection to the piece, why they collected it, or even why they support the artist. A collector and viewer’s connection to the piece might vary from the artist’s own point of view, so this allows the collector to share their side of the story.

In many ways, this feature takes the connectivity of Discord and Twitter into the platform itself.

PROVENANCE

As the piece travels hands, the memoir travels with it. The memoir becomes a written record of the ledger, not only sharing who owns the piece, but what attachment they had to it.

The memoirs make the artwork buying process less transactional and more personal, building a strong foundation between the artist and the collector.

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide to get started. Ready to start minting? Apply to talk with our curatorial team today.

Last week, we chatted about Cryptic Gallery’s latest curation, “Murals on the Chain.” Check out the full article here and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all things Mint Gold Dust.

Weekly Recap

79AU | 7.22-29

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

MURALS ON THE CHAIN

Check out Cryptic’s first NFT collection, Murals on the Chain, available now. Preview the collection below, and be sure to check out each piece on Mint Gold Dust to see them come to life.

Want to learn more about the people behind the gallery? Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our Twitter Spaces with founder Ovid Forest.

Jungle King was painted for the May 2021 Cryptic Mural Jam and measures 12 Feet x 22 Feet. The featured character, “Fex” is Annabelle’s signature monster who has many styles and transformations. Here he is in his Jungle form with a bright spotted pelt paired with a tiki totem and fire breathing capabilities.

Fried Flights was created to harness the feeling, and freedom found in Breiner’s sketchbooks. Whereas most of his murals are thought out with a more direct narrative, Fried Flights celebrates all those lucid thoughts and dreams that inhabit Breiner’s mind when it is turned off and that rarely ever make it out of my sketchbooks.

Painted for the Cryptic Mural Fest in May 2021.

“If you wanna make it to the top you have to stay hungry and hustle hard. But the journey there is all about Balance, so always be sure to have fun and do your best to impact and inspire those around you on the way.” – BoogieREZ

“They told me just one voyage to jupiter…” – Heste Lauder

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide to get started. Ready to start minting? Apply to talk with our curatorial team today.

Check out last week’s edition of 79Au to read about the renaissance of free minting, and stay up to date on all things Mint Gold Dust by subscribing to our newsletter.

Weekly Recap

79AU | 7.14-21

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

SphericalArt, aka Paul Petersen, is a geometric artist and poet who finds and creates his images inside of 3D polyhedral spheres. He looks for unique arrangements of polygons that hint at an emerging story. He overlays meaning onto the inherent beauty of polyhedral patterns. His artwork “Lunar Vibrations” depicts a broad vista with the moon’s tidal pulse filling the sky and landscape.

Over more than half a century, artist Dia al-Azzawi’s work has been shown in countless group and solo exhibitions worldwide, especially in Europe and across the Arab World. Freddie 1.0 is his genesis NFT collection, and was inspired by his grandson. Check out our interview with Dia here.

Matteo Succi, aka Svccy, is a digital artist and designer. His work is inspired by the Vaperwave Aesthetic, a genre that celebrates the technological nostalgia of the 80s and 90s. His work “Masks” is a commentary on the different masks we wear to survive in a modern day society.

FREE MINTING: BEAR MARKET SAVIOR OR TEMPORARY FAD?

While investors and collectors navigate the new crypto ‘normal’ caused by another “Crypto Winter”, the rise of free-to-mint NTFs has been seemingly parabolic. Many recent and prospective projects are using this model to get the ever-popular genre of PFP generative series into the hands of eager collectors. Making NFTs free to mint has lowered the barrier to entry, and spurred demand for scarce tokens that demand less monetary commitment, but can still see exponential growth and profits. As this phenomena grips the crypto community, there are lingering questions about the sustainability of essentially giving away a collection with the promise of profit, through royalties from secondary market sales.

Unlike most projects, Free-to-Mint NFT drops allow collectors to generate a piece for only the price of gas. Free launches create buzz and provide a way for collectors to obtain art and participate in a project which they might not have had the financial resources to get involved with. It’s easy to see how this format appears attractive, the pay-to-play mindset that has dominated the NFT market no longer applies and instead tight-knit communities of early adopters create their own hype around exclusive collections. As scarcity sets in during the free for all minting events, collectors interested in the resale market benefit from the increase in floor prices.

These collections, while free to mint initially, have a history of being wildly successful. One of the most prolific projects that utilized this model is CryptoPunks in 2017. CryptoPunks centered around allowing whoever was both interested and already invested in the crypto space to claim their own. This set the groundwork for other offerings down the line as CryptoPunks skyrocketed to an 11 million dollar valuation at the very apex of the NFT craze.

In more recent history, Goblintown has seen similar success. Teased during a cryptic Twitter Space, with no roadmap or existing utility, Goblintown launched a 10,000 piece free-to-mint generative collection that quickly amassed 35,000 ETH in sales. The sales volume now sits at 44,500 ETH with 4,500 individual owners, most of which participated in the initial free minting event.

Another project, For the Culture has met a different kind of success through the free-to-mint model. Artchick toyed with the idea to pay collectors .01 ETH for every NFT they minted. The setup could ensure the creator would make their money back after 2,000 ETH of sales volume at 5% royalties. Sibel, an artist in the space, ran with the idea and brought the project to life with an OpenSea tagline stating:

“If you are reading this sh*t you came for the meme and stayed for the culture. Never underestimate the power of memes fcker. Fck u all! Roadmap? Fck that too!”

The colorful, simple sketches are easily recognizable in profile pictures and memes circling social media and have since led to the creation of derivative styles.

The idea of paying collectors seems like a stretch in an already questionably sustainable minting process. And so the free-to-mint model and its variations beg the question: is this a long term option for creators and artists in the space? The pitfalls are evident. Giving away large amounts of NFT’s does not guarantee a profit, and generating hype can be a slow burn in a bear market. With this format, creators risk investing their time and effort into a project that won’t gain traction and get off the ground. In addition, smaller artists who already struggle to sell 1/1 pieces might not have the means or capability to create 10k drops which are the standard in the free-to-mint space. However, there are also notable positives associated with the free-to-mint market. The upside of gas-only projects is that they are inherently counterintuitive to those interested in securing a quick profit through flipping NFTs. Profit in these projects is determined by sales on the secondary market via royalties. If the scarcity/demand dynamic is not created during the “community hype” process, long term ROI will be unattainable. This provides a sense of security through both creator and collector accountability because of the slow set up process. In short, they typically don’t entice bad actors.

This is not to say that free minting doesn’t have its own set of safety and security risks. Risks for free-to-mint projects typically fall under the familiar categories in the crypto space of phishing, catfishing, fake airdrops, rugpulls and counterfeit projects, and a new contender to the scam list; sleep minting. In this new type of ruse, would-be scammers use another artist’s or creator’s account or wallet to generate a fake NFT. The wallet signature gives the NFT the appearance of authenticity, and collectors are none the wiser in paying for what they think is a verified work. We’ve seen these same types of malicious behavior in what have been typically known as scams in the Discord space via direct message requests and suspicious links. Smart contracts can be written to seemingly mint an NFT, but in doing so, a collector unwittingly signs a request allowing would-be unauthorized individuals access to their funds. However savvy collectors are already circumnavigating this issue by creating “burner wallets” to interact with these contracts, rather than use their main asset storage space.

With this in mind, there are precautions that every NFT Marketplace routinely advises their artists and collectors take, which also apply when participating in a free mint:

Protect your seed phrase
Choose verified creators
Avoid suspicious links
Utilize cold or burner wallets
Always verify signature requests
Revoke suspicious authorization when spotted

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide here.

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Weekly Recap

79AU | 7.11-14

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

The Decentralized Art World | Blockchain Provenance, Intellectual Property, and Patronage

PROVENANCE

Something we hear a lot in the web3 space is provenance. But what is it and why should you care? Before the days of Blockchain and ledgers, provenance was a way for artists, collectors and subject matter experts to track the history of an artwork or artifact. That tracking traditionally included information such as artist info, point of origin, sale history, etc. Unfortunately, human error is inevitable and often pieces aren’t cataloged properly; or records are purposefully altered to inflate price, hide ownership, etc.

Today with Blockchian and NFTs, the provenance of a smart contract cannot be altered. In the case of art NFTs, provenance not only protects an artwork’s history, it protects the artist’s intellectual property and future royalties.

In the past one way to identify an artist and authenticate a piece was through the artist’s unique signature on their artwork. However, today artists can ensure their provenance is ironclad by always minting from the same wallet. An artist or collector’s wallet can be seen as their unique signature for web3 and a way for collectors and other artists to know that the piece minted does indeed belong to them.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

When thinking about intellectual property, we envision legal battles with vulture corporations, but the truth is, software like social media platforms are a far bigger threat to creators .

In recent history, tools like Instagram have been a way for artists to share their work, but once work is posted, artists open themselves up to millions of users, making them vulnerable to imitators and copycats.

Image theft is not just a web2 problem. ‘Lazy minting’ on platforms like OpenSea give artists the ability to sell their NFTs on demand, avoiding gas fees until the point of sale. However, until that piece is minted on chain, there is nothing stopping another creator from copying the image and minting it for themselves.

CREATORS AND CUSTODY

So that’s intellectual property, but what about custody of an actual on-chain asset?

When choosing a minting platform, artists should always check to see if they are non-custodial. If they are custodial, the platform is effectively the middle-man for all transactions. It holds on to the art and any proceeds from sales and these things are only released after a certain amount of time, which is decided by the platform. Furthermore if a platform runs into financial difficulty there is no guarantee that either NFTs or funds that are custodied with that platform will be returned to their rightful owner.

However, a non-custodial platform like Mint Gold Dust will never hold artwork or funds. A non-custodial platform can be seen as a window to the blockchain, rather than a broker.

COLLECTORS AND PATRONAGE

The web3 ecosystem doesn’t start and end with artists; collectors are also an essential piece of the ecosystem. Taking a look back at the traditional art world, a collector couldn’t just walk into a blue chip gallery and buy a painting. If they were not invited to the gallery to purchase a piece or a part of the gallery’s collector list, it was almost always out of reach. Now, patronage lies in the hands of the collector, not a gatekeeper.

There is a lot of talk about the flipping economy in web3, but the NFT market is much larger than that and there are more incentives to buy than just short term ROI. Just like in the traditional art world, we see collectors buying pieces that they have an emotional connection with from artists they want to support. They are not buying to flip but are buying because of true appreciation of the art. And because of verified provenance, tracked through the Blockchain, collectors can verify prior owners and that the piece is authentic.

With new display options, collectors can hang their NFT artwork in their homes like they would a painting. These frames connect with your wallet to showcase the actual file attached to the token, not just a jpeg saved from your computer.

SECONDARY MARKET

It is important to consider the secondary market when discussing collecting. Just as there are best practices with minting NFT art, there are best practices for selling. An attractive element of NFTs for artists is the promise of royalties which can flow to the artist every time the piece is resold. However, if a piece is resold on a platform the artist did not originally sell on, there is no guarantee that these royalties will follow. This cross platform dilemma is an industry wide issue that many people are looking to solve. In the meantime, there are ways that a collector can ensure that the artist receives their proper royalties on the secondary market. The easiest way to do this is to resell on the same platform that the piece was minted on. When a collector buys a piece from an artist, they are welcomed into their community. It’s up to collectors to foster that relationship and be good stewards of the artwork they collect.

Want to get started as an artist or collector on Mint Gold Dust? Check out our Metamask start up guide here.

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Weekly Recap

79AU | 7.1-8

4 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

WELCOME TO THE NEW MINT GOLD DUST

We launched our marketplace in November 2021 with a strong ecosystem surrounding us, and 8 Genesis Crypto artists, including Hackatao and Giant Swan.

We set out to create a platform for artists and collectors to transact seamlessly on-chain in a completely decentralized ecosystem.

Eight months after our launch, our mission remains the same, but things are now looking a little different. We’re pleased to re-introduce you to Mint Gold Dust with a new look to our marketplace.

TECHNOLGY

Despite our aesthetic changes, we are still fully committed to being 100% decentralized on the Ethereum blockchain.

Being fully decentralized means we are a window to the blockchain, not a custodian. Mint Gold Dust never takes custody of an artist or collector’s artwork or funds. All assets and bids are held on chain and are released to their new owners at the time of transaction through our ERC 1155 smart contracts.

Artists and Collectors can still connect with Ethereum wallets such as Metamask, or the web based wallet, Portis, enabling collectors more ways to collect.

MEET OUR ECOSYSTEM

We have worked hard to build an ecosystem that enriches the experience of our artists and collectors.

Technology from our partner Illust Space enables artists and collectors to geo-drop their NFTs into AR and VR.

Tokenframe is a seamless way for artists and collectors to showcase their artworks using their patented wallet connect technology.

Gilded Finance, our finance partner, provides a tax solution for cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

SmartSeal works with us to connect physical assets to the blockchain using NFC technology.

Our partnership with REFASHIOND for fashion on demand, connects on chain creations to the physical fashion industry.

Finally, we have built relationships with brick and mortar galleries such as West Chelsea Contemporary and artist communities like Searchlight Art to help promote digital art and NFTs to the wider art community.

KEY FEATURES

With Mint Gold Dust, artists and collectors can tell their story with our Memoir feature, allowing collaborators to be the author of their own art history for future generations.

Artists can mint with up to 1GB of file size, expanding the boundaries of their creations.

And with Curated Spaces, every artist can host their own digital gallery. And physical galleries can now have their own NFT marketplace.

Artists can also choose to mint with multiple collaborators in the Smart Contract, providing a solution for provenance and royalties for collaborative artworks.

COMMUNITY

We built our community and ecosystem with the artists and collectors in mind for them to transact seamlessly in our new web3 economy.

We believe that every NFT has a story, every story has a creator, every creator has a collector, and every collector should have an NFT.

We’re proud to have you here, and we can’t wait to see what you create and what you find to collect!

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