Life
W3DC. Photo courtesy of event.
W3DC: What’s to Come
June 30, 2022 @ 9:00am
The buzz around Web3 is undeniable. In Washington, one group is leading the way to introduce local creatives to the possibilities of Web3.
W3DC is a monthly event series that equips Washington’s art community with the knowledge to understand and explore the untapped power of blockchain technology. The series is an opportunity for like-minded creatives interested in developing crypto projects, such as immersive 3D art or music NFTs, to connect and grow a community around the rapidly expanding platforms that make up the Web3 movement.
The team behind W3DC spoke with District Fray about the inspiration behind their new event series. In a new discussion of what’s to come for W3DC, Warren Weixler, co-founder of SWATCHROOM and co-organizer of W3DC, observed that the collective’s inaugural meetup strengthened ties between more than 100 local creatives interested in learning about Web3 and NFTs.
“What’s cool about the W3DC community is that you can have rookies to experts and everybody’s kind of willing to help and willing to learn,” Weixler says. “That’s where you get the multidisciplinary kind of approach.”
At the June meetup, attendees enjoyed an immersive art installation and panel discussion led by two local creators: Matt Corrado and a generative artist who designs under the moniker ixnayokay. Corrado is the artist and creator behind Hypees, a project that designs NFT pop art, and ixnayokay’s work explores the mathematics of nature by way of digital landscapes.
The organization also incorporates a giveback strategy into their event series. At W3DC’s previous event, both PayPal and crypto donations were made to the anti-gun violence organization Sandy Hook Promise. Crypto donations have become increasingly attractive as of recent, in part because of their immediacy. According to Bloomberg, as of April 5, Ukraine received over $60 million in crypto donations as the country’s war with Russia persists.
Weixler looks ahead to future panel discussions that operate along a similar vein, inspiring Washington’s art community to pursue the possibilities of Web3 technology for future projects.
While discussions around blockchain technology have circulated since 1991, the Bitcoin server was first introduced in 2009. Awareness around the blockchain, cryptocurrency and NFTs have grown over the last decade, but the real catalyst for the present crypto frenzy was the pandemic, Weixler suggests. At least, that’s when Weixler’s interest in Web3 piqued.
“All of us that were extroverts, social, went to events.” Weixler says. “And then all [of us] turned introverted and had to stay home, right? So, we turned our attention to the web [and] what was happening online.”
Contributions to W3DC’s next meetup, which is expected to take place in mid- to late July, are rolling in. Suggestions to include the work of local NFT musicians and ideas for future panel discussions are tokens of valuable feedback for W3DC’s future events.
Ultimately, Weixler observes the exchange of ideas between established and emerging Web3 creators is the collaborative environment the co-host envisioned for W3DC.
“We really want to make sure that there’s four things that are present in this,” Weixler says. “We want to build community, but we want to build connection. We want to make sure there’s some educational piece, and we want to make sure there’s social responsibility.”
Weixler explains that art is the lens that will bring this mission to life. While the event primarily supports onboarding and facilitating education in the Web3 space, art for him is the vehicle to do that.
“Everything that we want to do, the Web3 piece is the common thread. So, if we have a musician, they’re a Web3 musician, if we have an artist talk, they’re a Web3 artist.”
District Fray is a media partner of W3DC. The event series was created by SWATCHROOM, OVRT, LBloq by Gil Nazario, PH3LPS by Josh Phelps and Scott Parker Brands.
The meetups are also supported by their sponsors: Republic Crypto, Arkive DAO, Matt Corrado, Artblocks, Bronson Bierhall and The Giving Block.
Arkive DAO: arkive.net // @arkivedao
Art Blocks: artblocks.io // @artblocks_io
Bronson Bierhall: bronsonbierhall.com // @bronsonbierhall
Matt Corrado: @mattcorradoart
The Giving Block: thegivingblock.com // @thegivingblock
ixnayokay: ixnayokay.art // @ixnayokay
Republic Crypto: republic.com/crypto // @joinrepublic
SWATCHROOM: swatchroom.com // @swatchroom
