WAC Fellowship

Become web3 literate and start imagining new use cases for the arts and culture.

By merging in-depth discussions and education with real prototyping sessions, the WAC Fellowship is offering to 12 cultural institutions to bring blockchain literacy within the art sector and prototype use-cases for web3 technology in the artworld and the culture sector as a whole.

Please note that our second cohort is underway. The next call for applicants will launch in August 2023.

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Understanding the WAC Fellowship program

As arts institutions navigate social, environmental, and economic flux, web3 offers a new world of challenges and opportunities. While institutions struggle to find their way into web3, a generation of crypto-native collectors have their sights on the legacy artworld, and new protocols challenge the meaning of the word “curation”. But in an ecosystem of $69 million .jpgs and promises to change the world, how can the arts and culture sector see through the hype and build a sustainable institution with the blockchain?

The WAC Fellowship program is offered to twelve arts and culture institutions by We Are Museums and TZ Connect, with the support of the Tezos ecosystem, in collaboration with Blockchain Art Directory 2.0.

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Our goals

~~Educate and onboard eight arts and culture institutions onto web3. We’ll give them a crash course on the blockchain and NFTs, and plenty of good ideas on how to use them.~~

~~Create a body of examples of web3 working for cultural institutions. Not only are these inspiring proofs-of-concept, they’re open-source software institutions can use to build their own future.~~

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Our three areas of focus

The WAC Fellowship program’s research is currently focused on three areas:

~~How arts and culture institutions can use web3 technology to further their mission for social good, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.~~

~~How institutions can include web3 in their commitment to environmental justice. This includes frank discussions of environmental justice, sustainable practices, and climate activism.~~

~~How institutions can use web3 to navigate the financial crisis weighing down on the culture sector. We research new models for fundraising, membership, and revenue distribution.~~

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What do we offer you?

An educational program covering blockchain basics. Several topics will be addressed to provide a baseline understanding of the blockchain and its possible applications. Think about NFTs, DAOs, encryption, DeFi, consensus mechanisms, oracles, etc.

Forward-thinking lectures and interactive workshops which will help you explore innovative possibilities in a disciplined way, and the tools to bring these learnings back to your institution. This will include futures literacy, workshops focusing on the future of museums, the arts, collecting, and more.

~~Blockchain tech reality check: everything that’s possible with today’s technology… and what isn’t.~~

~~One-to-one mentoring sessions with technologists and strategists in the blockchain and art space.~~

~~Weekly informal conversations where fellows meet the people shaping the space today.~~

~~Access to resources including the latest press reviews, ecosystem mapping, a knowledge library with tutorials and useful links and bibliographies, and an open-source library to develop new projects.~~

~~Exposure to a wide range of experts and professionals at the intersection of web3 and the arts and culture sector.~~

~~Access to an exclusive communication platform for fellows, mentors, and their partners.~~

~~Promotional support across the press, social media, our website, and events features.~~

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Who was part of the first cohort?

BeFantastic (India), C/O Berlin (Germany), Light Art Space Foundation (Germany), NXT Museum (The Netherlands), Octobre Numérique (France), Signal Festival (Czech Republic), Van Gogh Museum (The Netherlands), Villa Albertine (United States)

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Who is part of our ongoing cohort?

ACMI - Australian Centre for the Moving Image (Australia), Belvedere Museum (Austria), Haus der Kunst München (Germany), HEK - House of Electronic Arts (Switzerland), French Ministry of Culture (France), Institute for Sound and Music (Germany), Musée d'Orsay and Musée de l'Orangerie (France), Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka), National Taras Shevchenko Museum (partnering with ArtAegis and Modern Art Research Institute) (Ukraine), The Reel Store (United Kingdom), The Royal College of Art (United Kingdom) and the Wooko Makandie Foundation (The Netherlands).

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Success story from the last cohort

Light Art Space Foundation exhibition: “Life After BOB” by Ian Cheng (Berghain Halle, Berlin)

After pursuing the 8-week fellowship, the LAS Foundation team felt ready to experiment further with blockchain technology and integrate a component in their upcoming exhibition. The prototypes built during the WAC Hackathon served as inspiration on how to engage with visitors on-site through an interaction with the blockchain, and especially live-minting.

TZ Connect provided support to turn the idea into completion, and the LAS Foundation and Ian Cheng’s teams worked on integrating the live minting within the visitor journey and the artistic concept of the exhibition so it could be fully and seamlessly integrated. The presentation of the NFT experience called “TRUE NAME” can be found here.

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Understanding your role as a fellow

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Who can apply?

This program is intended for arts and culture institutions including museums, foundations, galleries, art centers, festivals, fairs, and auction houses. Non profit cultural institutions are encouraged to apply.

~~The successful institutions will need to be represented by 1-4 fellows participating in the program.~~

~~The program will be held digitally, and in English. Our celebration event at the end of the program might be held in person, circumstances permitting.~~

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What can you expect?

~~To become web3-literate. You’ll come away with a deep understanding of how the space is going to affect your sector, and how your institution can leverage the technology to your long-term advantage.~~

~~To become part of a network of innovative arts and culture institutions venturing into web3, supporting each other as you explore a new environment and bring those learnings back to your institution.~~

~~To build a working proof-of-concept for a web3 project tailored to the changing needs of your institution and others like you, or the possibility to have your idea built during the hackathon.~~

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What are you committing to?

Fellows will be expected to attend the training, co-creation workshop and mentoring sessions provided. In the middle of the program, we will write with you or your team a brief for an innovative use-case of web3 for the arts and culture sector. The brief will be submitted to our online global hackathon that will run for four weeks, where teams can pick up your idea to turn it into a reality. During the hackathon, you or your team can support the team of developers and designers who will contribute to the realization of your project.

In practical terms, this means a commitment of a minimum of 3 hours for 16 weeks.

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Who is doing the tech?

Despite its current fame, web3 is still in its very early days. That so much core technology doesn’t exist yet can be a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for us to build projects that could have a lasting influence on the sector as it develops.

Our program does not seek to deliver finished products, but to experiment with the building blocks that do exist and build inspiring prototypes that illustrate a positive future for arts and culture institutions in the web3 space.

To make these prototypes real, we’re partnering with a selection of web3 tech providers during the last phase of the WAC Fellowship, called the WAC Factory. We will run a four-week incubator with the talented developers and designers required to help make your ideas real.

You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside these developers, ensuring the project stays on track and aligned with the institution’s needs and ambitions.

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Let’s get practical

Over the course of the fellowship, you will:

~~Apply here to make your case for joining the fellowship (update: applications closed)~~

Once you are selected, you’ll be invited to join an introduction meeting where you will be able to ask all your questions and decide if you want to pursue the program. Save the date: January 16th 2023 at noon UTC.

~~You and your colleagues will be invited to a series of courses, workshops, and meetings over 12 weeks. The estimated time commitment is a minimum of 3 hours per week.~~

~~During the last 4 weeks, your team will start working with a tech integrator to develop an idea for a project into a prototype.~~

~~At the end of the 16 weeks, teams and tech integrators will present their prototypes during a demo day. Investors and potential partners will be invited to join the event.~~

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WAC Fellowship Courses Program

Introduction to web3 (history, ideology)
Onboarding on web3 (cryptocurrencies, ledger, wallet, NFTs)
Security and data storage in the web3 space
DAOs and governance in the web3 space
Social and environmental impact in the web3 space
Blockchain technology for cultural institutions (case studies, opportunities, and limits)
The web3 art space (marketplaces, communities, players, companies)
Embark your colleagues in their web3 journey
Communication and marketing in the web3 space
Community building and community engagement in the web3 space