Let’s embrace it!

Walkthearts in Florence while visiting Palazzo Strozzi Let's Get Digital

Last summer in Florence, during Studio Italia, I was skeptical when I bought my ticket for the exhibition Let’s Get Digital NFTs and Innovation in Digital Art. I had to know if NFT art is and will be a fad or not. In Canada’s national capital (Ottawa) art world, I kept hearing that it is not going to last, it’s all smoke and mirrors, ya-ya-ya, etc. So, I entered the Palazzo Strozzi with an open mind. I saw the works, I read everything on the walls, and I came out of the exhibition thinking “It is here to stay.” From that moment, on la Via de’ Tomabuoni, I felt compelled as an art historian and art educator to embrace this new reality. Didn’t we do it for Pop Art and Conceptual Art in the late ’50s and ‘60s?

Back in Canada, I got informed of this new vision of art currently turning everything upside down. I have followed an excellent two-day seminar on the question, taken an NFT class on Udemy, and while in New York City, I bought at the MoMA the last copy of The Story of NFTs. I am currently devouring this book ¾ summary to come in another post. Indeed! NFTs are here to stay!

Believe it or not, I am now curating an NFT exhibit on behalf of BRAVO, a small art organization in Ontario. We received a modest grant from the Arts Council of Ontario. The money is not yet in the bank, but the call to artists has been completed. We have enough money for a maximum of 7 curious artists to partake in this adventure with us. This grant is conditional on the work being shown in a public gallery member of the Ontario Art Galleries Association.

I have already approached a few galleries, but all seem hesitant ¾ one already declined. It seems they have the very same doubts I had before visiting the show in Florence. I also felt a flicker of apprehension, and for valid reasons: artist’s rights, presentation issues, reception from the public … It is true that it takes courage to present such an exhibition in POGGish Ontario. But isn’t the role of art to fuel new ideas and new visions? I will always persevere in my “apostolate”, to lead people to the love of Art.

Of course that more public galleries in Ontario will be contacted. However, all of you, who belong to the Walk the Arts community around the world, can you help me bring this exhibit to your place? All I need is a small alcove of 20 × 20 feet. There are no artworks to be transported since they are on the blockchain; tablets or printed works suffice. It is an easy show to put up, but with a difficult concept to apprehend. But as soon as you understand NFTs, I assure you that you will fall in love with this new way of seeing and acquiring art. I strongly recommend everyone to fully embrace it!

by Yves M. Larocque (Ph.D.) | Apr 11, 2023 | Art | Religion | Theory, Art History, painting workshops Italy France

17 Comments

HYACINTH PAUL on April 12, 2023 at 3:53 pm

I think this is here to stay and I’m glad you are doing this. I will check with my local galleries if they would give us the space. Thank you!

Reply
- Yves M. Larocque on April 13, 2023 at 4:54 pm
  
  Merci Hyacinth.
  
  Reply
- Nancy Brandsma on April 17, 2023 at 8:48 pm
  
  I submitted for this project. In all honesty I don’t understand NFTs but I am an artist and I am curious and willing to learn and explore this new avenue with the group. I hope to he part of it. Great article Yves…you truly are avant-garde!
  
  Reply
  - Yves M. Larocque on April 20, 2023 at 3:31 pm
    
    Thank You very much Nancy!
    
    Reply
Peter Iveson iveson on April 12, 2023 at 4:11 pm

Do not know what to think?

Reply
- Yves M. Larocque on April 13, 2023 at 4:53 pm
  
  Peter! Think of something. 🙂
  
  Reply
Luc Alain on April 12, 2023 at 5:50 pm

Fascinant! Merci pour ce post. Une exposition NFT serait-elle possible en 2024 à La Fab à Chelsea?

Je peux mener la charge!

Reply
- Yves M. Larocque on April 13, 2023 at 4:52 pm
  
  Of course. Tu mènes à la charge.
  
  Reply
Michelle Havenstein on April 12, 2023 at 5:58 pm

Hi Yves, interesting article, but I don’t actually know what NFTs are. Can you explain a little?

Reply
- Yves M. Larocque on April 13, 2023 at 4:52 pm
  
  Just follow this class on Udemy, and you will understand everything. “NFT MASTERY for Creators – Beginner to Advanced 2022 Course”.
  
  Reply
Sarah Cowling on April 12, 2023 at 6:26 pm

I am not sure about NFTs but how about the Satellite Gallery in London?

Reply
- Yves M. Larocque on April 13, 2023 at 4:50 pm
  
  That would be great! Is the gallery a member of the Ontario Gallery Association? Would you be ready to be our link?
  
  Reply
  - Sarah Cowling on April 14, 2023 at 12:41 pm
    
    Hi Yves, I am not sure about whether it is a member of the Ontario Gallery Association but it is affiliated with Museum London, Fanshawe College and Western university. You can find it on google and I would be happy to help. Let me know
    
    Reply
Carole Ince on April 12, 2023 at 7:40 pm

I think this is very exciting and I am grateful for your inspiration to explore and take a deep dive into NFT’s!!!

Reply
Paula Zoubek on April 13, 2023 at 6:46 am

I am open to the concept but know virtually nothing about it. Need to learn more. Thank you Ives for reminding me of it.

Reply
Enzo Medaglia on April 13, 2023 at 11:01 am

Thanks for the update, never really paid that much attention to NFTs, but will try to keep an open mind

Reply
Yves on April 13, 2023 at 4:44 pm

Thank you very much, Hyacinth.

Reply

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Who are we?

We all make art! It is part of culture. It is deeply rooted in human nature as a way of communicating with others. We all need to tell our stories because it is stories that link us all. We are all one, one creative mind! Though, all unique and equipped with unique ways of expressing ourselves. We live in constant search of that unique liberating voice. At Walk the Arts we aim to facilitate our art makers to explore new territories. Our painting classes and art history trips on three continents are meant to be rounded art experiences among small groups of like-minded adults. We offer an environment that fosters creativity. As we always say, art as religion is just a matter of faith. This blog is about living fully the experience of art, about finding our single artistic path, about the joy of art-making. We believe that making art accessible to all will lead to a betterment of our society.

Search

Contact Us! North America and Europe

Follow Blog via Email

Thank you for subscribing!

Twitter Updates

“Re-situating” myself

May 23, 2024

Alone in your studio, guided by your intuition, stop, sit down, with your notes in hand, your mindmap on the wall, to gather a feel for the next avenues. I suggest you take a few days to write down a first draft of an artistic statement. It will put some order into your thoughts so as to better clarify them. Be warned, however, that this will not be your final statement, as others will follow.
Set parameters: no more than 500 words, write a seductive title, an incipit (very first line) that hooks; write in the active form. Watch out for repetition and tautology! The more honest you are with yourself, the easier it will be to write this text. The more you hesitate to let go with your art, the harder it will be.

Gray a Philosophical “Color”

Jul 6, 2023

“Over the past 40 years, I’ve seen students in the process of transitioning from saturated colors to grayed ones, a sign of serious questioning about painting. As a beginner, we shy away from mixing colors, and the more we progress in our creative practice, the more daring we become. That’s life! When we’re children, we only see saturated colors, and as we get older, gray takes over. Adults realize that gray is everywhere. “The color of truth is gray” wrote the French author André Gide.”

We can face Artificial Intelligence

Jun 10, 2023

How many times were we tempted to fall into the trap of mainly teaching painting techniques now all available on the Net? Just type “How to paint an Italian Landscape” and … two million plus videos jump onto your computer screen.

A First History of NFTs

May 12, 2023

“I think the reason […] I’ve chosen the career that I have is because artists are always the seers or the truth tellers. They show us the way forward”. Nora Burnett Abrams, The Story of NFTs, Artists, Technology, and Democracy. P. 53

My painting workshop in Tuscany

Nov 11, 2022

Already a month since my return from a fun-filled art-learning experience in Tuscany, Italy! The workshop went far beyond what I even imagined, or hoped it would be. The roughly eight hours per day for most days of art instruction gave me a new perspective on my art: where I was and where I wanted to be, the past and the future. But, together as a group, we were living in the present.

An Art Retreat Like No Other

Aug 19, 2022

If...

“Perseverance” is the key to all successful artists

Dec 11, 2021

Perseverance is the key to all successful artists.

I always ask my painting students to memorize … “Until then, we will not rest or falter. Hand in hand with others thirsting for a better life, no matter how long it takes, regardless of support or persecution, we will joyfully respond to a savage need for liberation”.

Studio Italia, a painting vacation with…

Nov 12, 2021

If our art workshops focused mostly on painting techniques, then why traveling to Italy and spending money when you could stay at home and learn everything you need through the Internet for free?

Art and Neurosciences

Jan 13, 2021

When a subject becomes familiar, the brain activity shuts down like when viewing a lovely chickadee painting…

Can we talk about the neuroscience of art? This is the question that French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux addresses in his beautiful book The Beauty in the Brain or La Beauté dans le Cerveau (Odile Jacob, 2016). Prof. Changeux describes how the human brain behaves when making or contemplating a work of art. To make a long story short, he argues that the neural bases of aesthetic pleasure are the product of the link between cognitive and emotional brain functions, in other words, the harmony between reason and emotion. Moreover, he gives some tips on how artists can maximize the impact of their works on their audience.

Evolving in art is just a matter of faith; only believe!

Dec 11, 2020

We refrain from teaching painting techniques easily found on the Net. We prefer taking the necessary time (36 hours) to fully involve the participant in reflecting on her or his art — including all levels, all media […]
Rest assured that having attended one of our online classes, you will be more confident in taming the landscape in your own way while on a plein-air painting workshop.

Let Go! The Artist’s Way of Cooking

Oct 14, 2018

Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/walkth14/public_html/wp-content/plugins/rating-widget/rating-widget.php on line 3880

Ten years ago, here in Tuscany, we decided to write a recipe book but with so many good cookbooks in the market, we needed to propose a new idea. We had to find a modus operandi close to who we are and what we do as visual artists. The answer was in front of us and painting gave it to us: art and color!

Travelling with meaning : a painting workshop in Italy

Sep 30, 2017

More and more travellers from the developed world are looking for meaningful travels. We are aiming for journeys that allow us to learn something new, to deepen our culture, to enhance our lives. Purpose, inspiration and self-discovery are now vital elements in our traveling choices. Probably, this is why our quality painting workshops offered since 1997, have become more and more popular.

Living Through the Arts