With the noise of memecoin season dying down, the NFT space is turning its eye back to the thing that makes up the heart and soul of the community: art. For those looking to dive back into the cultural side of Web3 (or just interested in checking out one of the most community-based NFT projects out there), World of Womenโs Spring Artfest is a must-see.ย
World of Women is a household name in the NFT world. Started by artist Yam Karkai in an effort to represent and onboard women to Web3, the brandโs two main collections โ World of Women and World of Women Galaxy โ have done over 113,452 ETH ($200 million) in total volume. Among the various utilities and IRL events WoW offers collection holders are initiatives to support and bring attention to diverse and underrepresented artists in the space. Artfest, WoWโs quarterly celebration of creativity, is one of them.
WoWโs Spring Artfest features editioned work from 16 artists in the space, hand-picked by Yam Karkai. WoW holders can check their eligibility (which is linked to the skin tone trait of their WoW NFTs) to mint these pieces. They include artwork from Sara Baumann, Alinadore, Orabel, Essa, Superama, Jacklyn, Varvara Alay, Kelly Hsiao, Rewind Collective, Sera Stargirl, Chris Alliel, Rhi Madeline, YuYu, Glam Beckett, Saeko Ehara, and Smeccea.ย
Over the course of May, Artfest revealed two artworks each day that interpret the various themes in WoW lore in editions ranging from 25 to 600. The works are aligned with themes orbiting around different โplanetsโ in the WoW ecosystem, including Mother Earth, Cyber Jungle, Flaming Ember, and more.ย
MakersPlace Artfest competition
Springโs Arfest also featured a community art competition in collaboration with the NFT platform and marketplace MakersPlace, whose team took part in the final curated selection process. On May 16, WoW announced the winners of the contest, who received 2,000 and 1,000 USDC. MakersPlace will also provide winners with a free mint on the platform and onboarding support. Furthermore, two of the top five artists in the contest will be selected for a chance to be featured in the summer edition of Artfest as well as being featured on the MakersPlace homepage in June.
World of Womenโs Spring Artfest runs until May 25. Those who mint a full set of NFTs from the collection will be airdropped a unique work upon its completion, an animation entitled Celestial Navigator by artist David Ariew. To get the latest alpha on what World of Women is up to, check out our podcast interview with WoWโs COO, Shannon Snow.