ARTXV – NFTs to celebrate diversity and support neurodiverse artists
NFTs have been an incredible phenomena that have grown exponentially in recent years. 2021 alone was a year of massive growth for NFTs, and from Q2 to Q3 2021, NFT sales surged from $1.3B to $10.7B according to DappRadar. This growth and momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
One of the greatest opportunities presented by NFTs, is the role they can play in breaking down barriers and creating greater accessibility in the world of arts for those who have traditionally faced barriers in accessing the space. This is where ARTXV comes in, an organization dedicated to supporting neurodiverse artists using the revolutionary technology of NFTs.
I had the privilege of meeting with Ava, Founder of ARTXV, to discuss this exciting project and their vision for NFTs and social impact.
What is neurodiversity? Any brain function that differs to the ‘norm’ - whether that’s autism, ADHD, synesthesia etc.
— ARTXV.eth (@artxvnft) August 26, 2021
Neurodiversity is like any other type of diversity - a new, unique perspective that is an asset to the art world and society. 💥 pic.twitter.com/T3LAXMDIzX
What is ARTXV?
ARTXV is a community that supports and represents neurodiverse artists to sell their work as NFTs and works to show the world the power of neurodiversity. ARTXV aims to accomplish three main objectives:
To show the world the power and beauty of neurodiversity, just like any other diversity, in the art world
To accelerate the financial independence of their artists
To diversify both the art and NFT spaces
The inspiration behind ARTXV
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Ava was helping clean up her autistic sister Tara’s house, when she found an extraordinary abstract piece of art that she had painted. Ava was amazed by Tara’s artistic ability and had no idea about this special talent of Tara was, after all, known as the champion swimmer in our family.
It became clear that Tara was a woman of many talents, and to celebrate her artistic abilities, Ava made an Instagram account and showed off her work like any proud sister would. The page grew from purely art to other content to do with disability culture, media, history, and justice. The one thing all the posts had in common was the celebration of the diversity and talents of those with disabilities. From this, a community soon came to life that was formed with other neurodiverse artists, collectors and allies, and ARTXV was officially born.
Inspired by other projects and initiatives led by disabled people who were changing the public image of disability, ARTXV was formed as a strong, powerful presence of neurodiverse artists to show that disability, like any other diversity is a powerful gift to the art world. Ava believes that ARTXV can help dismantle archaic and false stereotypes of the disabled community being weak, grateful recipients of charity or pity, and instead, show who they really are: a diverse group of people with a rich culture and history, incredible stories to tell, and beautiful art that the art world is missing out on.
Why NFTs?
As the Instagram page grew, Ava met other neurodiverse artists with incredible art and stories, yet with no success in the traditional art world. It soon became apparent to Ava that not only was the traditional art world completely inaccessible and exclusionary to disabled people, but that art institutions did not take disabled artists seriously, despite their amazing talents. The typical response received from professional arts institutions was to start a charity, or run an Etsy store for artists, diminishing their ability to establish themselves and enter the arts industry. (if I had a penny for every time someone told me to set up a charity or run an Etsy store for these artists instead of helping them enter the art industry.
Ava soon discovered NFTs and immediately saw the potential in the space. Beyond the multi-million-dollar sales and the huge amount of hype in the space, she saw the potential of NFTs to democratise the art industry and create a more equitable and inclusive artistic ecosystem. No fancy connections, prestigious circles, or lengthy applications were needed in this new space; just art, a social media account, and connections with other members of the NFT community.
Despite the NFTs being in their infancy and having a long way to go in terms of accessibility, Ava recognized that they pose an extraordinarily valuable and exciting opportunity for disabled artists and other underrepresented artists to thrive
The role of NFTs in Social Impact
Ava truly believes that NFTs will give artists from marginalised communities a fair opportunity to receive recognition and income for their amazing works of art and take their rightful place in the art world. The traditional art world is still overwhelmingly white, male, and non-disabled, and as such, NFTs will not only create positive social impact to individual artists, but also have the opportunity to tremendously benefit society as a whole.
Ava shared her excitement with the many initiatives in the NFT space that can drive social impact, whether that be through raising awareness for important causes, incentivising good deeds through gifting NFTs, or just simply bringing communities and allies together. Ava believes that there is so much potential for creativity and impact in the space, and that we have barely scratched the surface of this potential.
What’s next for ARTXV?
ARTXV will be having their first drop in March 2022, which will coincide with their project with Google Arts & Culture, making them the first NFT community to work with them. This drop will give collectors and buyers the chance to learn about their talented artists, their works, and their stories.
What’s the best way to support ARTXV?
The best way to support ARTXV is to keep an eye out for their first drop in March 2022, and to acquire one of the amazing works in their collection. With each purchase you are directly impacting a marginalised disabled artist, investing in their career and future, and making a pledge to celebrate neurodiversity in the art world and beyond.
It’s equally important to help spread word of the great work being done by ARTXV, and to become an ally in their mission to create greater opportunities and inclusion for neurodiverse artists. You can follow ARTXV and learn more about them here:
If you are interested in connecting with them, their DMs are open, and you can also shoot them an email at hello@artxv.org.
