Tuesday Project Spotlight: Walking Between Worlds

How can blockchain-based NFTs support artists and their communities? The Walking Between Worlds project, based in Australia, is answering that question.

This project is the result of a number of individuals who have been working for the past year to determine ways for Indigenous artists to benefit from the extraordinary technology behind non-fungible tokens. The project will help to build a market and facilitate sales of NFTs by Indigenous artists. The first step is digital education, training Indigenous artists about this new technology and helping them to mint their artwork as NFTs. The benefits for artists extend beyond monetary value, as NFT artists can track the sales of their art and build a community around their work.

Indeed, the concept of community is a core tenet of Aboriginal culture in Australia, and it is the underlying foundation of Walking Between Worlds. Each artist selling a piece through this organization will earn money for themselves, but will also commit to donating a portion of their proceeds to registered Indigenous charities in their own communities. In this way, NFTs sold through Walking Between Worlds are empowering not just artists, but members throughout Indigenous communities.

The “Genesis” collection will open this month with NFTs from four artists: two established Indigenous artists and two emerging contemporary artists. The project aims to create a “playbook” for Indigenous artists from around the world.

How can lawyers support this outstanding example of blockchain for social good? There are a multitude of ways. First, more lawyers should be learning about the legal issues around NFTs. We are doing our part over here at the Blockchain Law for Social Good Center: my Blockchain Law course at GGU Law will be studying NFTs in class next week. Moreover, NFTs provide a unique opportunity for copyright, trademark, and entertainment lawyers to bring their traditional legal expertise to an emerging field. Pro bono attorneys and legal clinics could advise projects like Walking Between Worlds and individual artists about the legal benefits and risks surrounding NFTs.

To learn more about Walking Between Worlds and and their artists, check out their Litepaper and these podcasts. Their tagline says it all: this is “[m]ore than just a collection…we’re a movement.”