Mint Gold Dust - 79Au

79AU | 10.8-14

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

Community Op-Ed

ONe Rad Latina is a self-taught, Neurodiverse, multi-disciplinary visual artist born and raised in New York City’s Inwood and the Dominican Republic.

Her passion lies in public art, and she can often be found creating murals and art installations out of found or repurposed materials, bringing beauty back to the communities of New York.

ONe Rad Latina works with different mediums and prides herself on her prolific line of artistic works and not being tied down to one specific visual artist’s craft.

For her digital works, she combines traditional techniques with new technologies to bring better representation to Women and People of color in web3.

Today, we’re hearing from ONe Rad Latina on the effect of AI engine bias and her work to improve AI engine diversity and cultural inclusion.

The Cultural Algorithm by ONe Rad Latina

We live in a world that is run by AI (Artificial Intelligence). From the song that plays next on your playlist to the ad you’ll see when streaming your favorite show, AI has its virtual hand in all of it.

Much like the algorithm in your favorite music app, AI engines using text-to-image algorithms are learning from your preferences.

Because these text-to-image algorithms learn based on human behavior, many have shown a tendency toward the sexualization of women and/or the exclusion of people of color in image renders.

I was very aware of this when I began exploring the concept of adapting AI as a tool into my artistic practice, and first did a bit of research into the different AI models and where their codes leaned toward certain biases.

This was especially important for me as an Indigenous Latina Woman working to reflect my cultural identity and who I am in my work.

When I later began to create artwork using the AI models, I saw that bias for myself.

I saw that If I did not state the racial and ethnic descriptions, the AI would return images of mostly white subjects regardless of cultural cues. If no gender was implied then the subjects would tend to be mostly male.

It was disappointing but not surprising.

After working to find descriptions of subjects that would leave no room for doubt as to what I needed, the AI slowly started to produce accurate imagery with less prompting for race or gender based only on the cultural cues it would overlook before. It did this by learning from my many attempts of triumph and failure within the render and edit process.

The AI was able to differentiate between actual culture and costume in future works, removing a built-in bias; I was amazed.

The development of these AI algorithm tools is in the very early stages; trial and error are part of the process.

Creatives like me, from communities whose cultures are often as exploited as their people, finally have an opportunity to drive the way these machines learn our cultures. We can guide them into a place where they can effectively work with artists in a truly meaningful and equitable way.

To me, as a creative person, it’s important to maintain a working relationship with these tools, so that it may correctly reflect my culture and not what others who are not a part of it have perceived it to be.

Want to see more of the artists featured in Machine Dialogues? Check out our latest collection, and view more of ONe Rad Latina’s work here.

Last week, we spoke with JenJoy Roybal on her curation process for Machine Dialogues, our latest exhibition. Check out her interview in last week’s blog post here.

Ready 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 | 10.1-7

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

Interview with Machine Dialogues Curator JenJoy Roybal

As the CryptoArt scene has quickly evolved, so has the need for thoughtful art curation. NFT curators provide necessary assistance to artists and marketplaces by navigating the popularity of tokenized artwork. The selective process of curation ensures that creators and collectors alike are exposed to pieces that fit their general interests and introduced to new artists and communities within the space.

Curators handpick voices and creative visions that speak to the time and cultural movements happening locally and globally. In doing so, curation can help spark conversations and encourage progressive discourse within the CryptoArt space and beyond.

This week, we spoke with JenJoy Roybal, the curator of our recent collection, Machine Dialogues, about curation being a cultural witness and discussed her curation process for the collection.

Tell us about the latest exhibition you curated, Machine Dialogues.

The exhibition Machine Dialogues is taking a look at how artists in Web 3 are utilizing artificial Intelligence (AI) to inform their creative process. So many tools have become available to creatives and we’re seeing a massive period of curiosity and experimentation across the artist community. I wanted to see what the impact was to long-time experienced artists using this technique, as well as artists just learning to integrate it into their work.

I felt it was important to get past the eye candy and the noise to discover what is really happening for artists and how they are thinking about it. Right now there’s a lot of criticism and debate about the use of AI, similar to what happened when creatives started using the camera, created prints, used synthetic paints, or tools like adobe suite, in the past. It feels like an inflection point where we need to pay attention to how artists are interacting with these tools, which are undergoing rapid development. I’m learning that oftentimes it’s a dialogue with a lot of back and forth happening, hence – Machine Dialogues. More importantly, I feel it is critical for these interactions to take place as AI becomes even more sophisticated and ubiquitous across all that we do as a society. Like with Web 3 technology, I think it’s imperative that artists use these tools and contribute to their development.

What were you looking for when you were looking at pieces to go into the collection?

I wanted a strata of artists that represents what we’re seeing in Web3, so viewers will see works in Fine Art, Gaming, Typography, and Metaverse Fashion. For this collection I reached out to artists that were pushing the possibilities of AI, using them as tools to expand their work. I invited artists who have been coding their own AI and doing recursive processes, where we could see a through-line of the tools that came before (drawing, painting, photography, etc). I looked to storytellers using AI to inform a particular cultural narrative, where it seemed like the AI helped them land with impact and strengthened their voice. It was also important to capture the collective spirit happening in Web 3, so an art collective was brought in to share that perspective. It’s incredible to see how artists are supporting each other in this space and as a result the work gets stronger and stronger.

What’s the benefit of curation in the NFT space to you?

Like any era or movement in arts and culture, it’s important to document, capture and witness what is happening. For me, curation and writing does that well. I’m a bit removed from the taste-maker type of curator like in fashion or music. I’m more immersed – gonzo style– in the community and culture by trying to capture the zeitgeist. I’m fascinated with the collapse of industry verticals and how there is a new mix of talent rising out of that. It’s thrilling.

I also use curation to draw in talent into Web3. [At my company] SearchLight, our work is conceptually more pull than push. Our artists don’t come to the space baked and cooked, ready for Christie’s to put a “bow on it,” but rather we witness a rapid development to that desired level. I like participating in this part of an artist’s journey. Plenty of people in our community have become best-selling artists in Web 3, whether minting on Manifold or Mint Gold Dust. It’s been rewarding to see that happen. It’s important that we pursue the holy grail of artist financial sovereignty. If we can’t build the road to get there we don’t need blockchains.

So I guess some benefits of curation in the NFT space include being able to witness and interrogate the cultural activity and provide some perspective as its happening; also to shine a light on artists that may otherwise get lost in the cacophony.

Why do you think AI is having its moment in the cultural zeitgeist right now? And where do you think it’s going?

The confluence between art and blockchains has put an obsessive focus on tech-driven artwork. When many of the largest tech companies released their “untrained AI tools’” around 2018, coders and artists got energized about the prospect and now it’s starting to scale and grow.

I believe some of the most interesting artwork will come out of this moment and it will be critical for the ongoing engagement of artists, storytellers, designers and so many more people to engage in AI dialogues or we’ll end up with SI (Stupid Intelligence) instead of AI.

There’s a lot of debate in the art world about whether or not this new iteration of AI art should be included in the art “canon.” What are your thoughts on that?

AI is already included in the cannon, The Whitney Museum of American Art and many others have been doing a good job of tracking this; so I think now it’s more about how artists will ride this next wave as it connects with blockchain culture. Also, if the “art world” is rumbling about a new tool that artists are using and shunning those outputs, much like they did with photography and NFTs, it’s worth taking a closer look. The debate is important, and I do think people are making valid points about how things are credited, plus we’re seeing a lot of generic looking things. However, I’ve been through a few transformative moments in art and I can feel the bubbling sensation in this sector. For me, it just needs to mature a bit more for any naysayers to be alleviated.

Miss last week’s note from Mint Gold Dust Founder and CEO, Kelly LeValley Hunt? Check it out here to hear her thoughts are on the Ethereum Merge and what it means for our community. Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter 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

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79AU | 9.23-30

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

WELCOME TO ETH 2.0

A LETTER FROM MINT GOLD DUST CEO + FOUNDER KELLY LEVALLEY HUNT

On September 15th, nearly 2 million of the world’s population witnessed and recognized a historical event taking place, The Merge. The Ethereum protocol transitioned from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake.

Ethereum’s Proof of Stake makes validators the new consensus layer, and all historical Proof of Work transactions have been verified and merged into one Proof of Stake chain. What is important for all users in the community is The Merge did not change anything for holders / users. This means you do not need to do anything with your funds, wallet, or NFTs to adjust to Ethereum Proof of Stake. This has been the number one concern, but everything is the same for most everyone in the ecosystem. Thanks to the tremendous heavy lifting from the Ethereum dev community, we can use the old saying “As you were!”. If you are interested in learning more about Ethereum Proof of Stake and how it came to be, check out Vitalik’s new book, Proof of Stake.

Over the past few years of building Mint Gold Dust, there was often the request from our users to incorporate a layer 2 to scale transaction executions and to decrease transaction costs or fees. We worried that if we chose to build a layer 2 to reduce transaction fees, our artists could possibly forfeit royalties long term if, in the future, their NFT was sold on the Mint Gold Dust secondary market. As a result we decided to wait for The Merge to happen, and we are happy we did. The Ethereum devs are working to find the best way to distribute the burden of storing compressed data from rollup contracts, allowing for exponential growth in network capacity. Ethereum Proof of Stake needed to happen first to even think of this change order. Think of this progress as giant baby steps.

Within 48 hours of The Merge, Mint Gold Dust fortified and future proofed our platform, running on the Ethereum Proof of Stake network, providing our community with the most financially efficient, secure, and direct way for everyone curious to explore, create, and grow their collection of NFTs.

Mint Gold Dust’s core values have not changed, and neither have those of the Ethereum community. In fact, our values have only become stronger and more transparent. Mint Gold Dust looks for unique creators who encourage their peers and recognize the bigger picture, advocating for a new type of value system based on contribution and coordination. At our decentralized core, we offer our artists the ability to present their assets as editions by means of ERC-1155 tokens. We stay true to our commitment to offer split payment solutions for artists and collaborators while showcasing the thoughts of our creators and collectors in the Mint Gold Dust memoir section. We champion curation in the NFT space with our Curated Spaces, and we are dedicated to being fully decentralized. Plus, we align with partners to best connect with our community like Illust Space for geo-dropping, SmartSeal for NFC’ing physical objects, Gilded Finance for financial reporting for artists and collectors, and now Tokenframe for displaying NFTs.

We honor and value our artists, collectors, creators, as well as those who showcase our community – the galleries. One way we do this is by supporting and encouraging collaboration in the digital art space with our split payment payout system. With this feature, you can add up to 5 wallets for payment distribution, utilizing automatic on-chain payments upon bid acceptance by the creator. We believe that by utilizing the Ethereum network’s ability to split payments based on percentages set by the artist upon minting, we make it faster to participate in a growing ecosystem and help decrease the financial burden of the artists and galleries. In the future, galleries will be required to provide easier means of transacting for their collectors, and artists will require galleries to be financially transparent. As such, these split percentages are searchable and on-chain for provenance so all participants / collaborators are aware of what they are due upon a sale.

Recently, we examined the market of digital frame partners because we believe that being able to showcase NFTs is the ultimate flex. We recognize that collectors and galleries want to display NFTs easily, and Tokenframe owns the patent for connecting Metamask wallets, and those alike, to their frames within seconds. With ease of use, any of our community can come to the Mint Gold Dust site, click on an NFT, purchase the NFT, click on the Tokenframe icon, and purchase a corresponding frame.

As the market grows, Mint Gold Dust will continue to partner with more likeminded organizations who have similar values and a clear vision for the future of web3 while keeping the integrity of decentralization at the core of their existence. Mint Gold Dust will be encouraging galleries to get more involved with digital artists, provide education for artists and collectors, and exhibit the most unique creations from our community. We believe that people with passion and creativity can change our world for the better.

Be Different!
– Kelly LeValley Hunt and the Mint Gold Dust Team

Stay up to date on all things Mint Gold Dust and 79Au by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Check back in next week when we chat with curator JenJoy Royball about her recent collection “Machine Dialogues,” now on Mint Gold Dust.

Weekly Recap

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79Au | 9.16-23

FEATURED ARTWORKS OF THE WEEK

Thinking of you(me) by Carolina de Bartolo is a paper collage and photomontage that was digitally created in collaboration with Midjourney Bot.

This work is a part of a new collection launching next week on Mint Gold Dust titled, Machine Dialogues, curated by JenJoy Roybal.

THE GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS – PART 1

This week, wildlife photographer and documentarian Christopher Scott Carpenter released his genesis NFT collection, The Galápagos Islands – Part 1.

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.

“When I visited the Galápagos, I connected with the ecosystem through photography. I found moments of curiosity, love, community, despair, and contention amongst the magnificent animals that inhabit these islands. By minting these photographic moments as NFTs, I hope to assist the efforts of the International Galápagos Tour Operators Association in their pursuit of providing education, so crucial to the understanding and stewardship of the magical landscapes of the islands, through the form of a public library to the communities of the Galápagos’s largest island, Santa Cruz. Education empowers, informs, and creates a symbiosis that further enables the humans of the Galápagos to protect, share, and champion the other species that surround them.” – Christopher Scott Carpenter

Each photo has been released as an edition run, encouraging animal and photography lovers alike to collect their favorites while directly supporting the animal behind the image. Check out the full collection below.

Conservation Status: Endangered, Population Decreasing

Although classified as an endangered species globally, the sea lions of the Galápagos can be found throughout the islands basking in the sun, sleeping on the sand, and playing. Despite being unabashedly awkward on land with their slow-moving side-to-side lurching movements, sea lions quickly become athletic and elegant swimmers capable of weaving easily through the underwater landscapes along the coasts.

Conservation Status: Unknown

Found commonly throughout the islands, the Sally Lightfoot Crab presents a burst of neon color as it scurries across rocks and along the sand in search of algae and small prey.

Conservation Status: Endangered, Population Decreasing

The 13 species of finches found throughout the Galápagos Islands formed the basis of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection; each species wields a distinct beak molded by the various environmental demands.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

The giant Galápagos tortoise lumbers slowly through the tall grasses of the islands; though once nearly hunted to extinction, their population, while still vulnerable, has stabilized since the 1970s due to conservation efforts. The diversity evident in their shells, sizes, and colors again suggested to Charles Darwin a Theory of Natural Selection.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable, but Stable

The Flightless Cormorant is among the world’s rarest species of birds, with only an estimated 1,000 alive today. These birds are strangely ill-equipped for their environments; with wings too short to fly and feathers too thin to be waterproof, the birds will oftentimes dive for prey along the coast and then dry off in the sunlight.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

An animal once described by Charles Darwin as “ugly” and with “a singularly stupid appearance,” the golden Galápagos Land Iguana exhibits a unique prehistoric quality complete with a spiked crown and clawed feet.

Conservation Status: Stable

One of the icons of the Galápagos, the Blue-Footed Booby hugs the coasts of the islands to dive for fish and nest in ground-level colonies. The Blue-Footed Booby’s famous mating ritual is an elaborate dance with stomping feet and a balletic pose called “skypointing.”

Curious to learn more about Christopher Scott Carpenter? Check out last week’s edition of 79Au to check our interview with the photographer.

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

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79AU | 9.10 – 15

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.

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

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79AU | 9.2 – 9

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

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79AU | 8.20-26

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

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79AU | 8.12-19

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

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79AU | 8.6-8.12

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

3 years ago Weekly Recap by : Mint Gold Dust

79Au | 7.30-8.5

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.