A 6-week training, coaching and mentoring program to become web3 literate to enhance arts and culture and be fully equipped to develop web3 projects.
WAC Museums is an educational program offered arts and culture institutions by We Are Museums, powered by Tezos, in collaboration with LAL Art.
WAC Museums is an educational program offered arts and culture institutions by We Are Museums, powered by Tezos, in collaboration with LAL Art.
WAC Museums
The Program
As arts institutions navigate social, environmental, and economic flux, web3* offers a new world of challenges and opportunities.
WAC Museums offers an exclusive and intensive six-week training designed explicitly for cultural institutions embarking on their web3 journey. This program covers a diverse range of topics, from the fundamental principles of web3 to the innovative applications of blockchain for museums, the boundless potential of immersive computing and the metaverse, and the transformative influence of generative artificial intelligence.
By participating in our program, your team will be equipped with profound insights into the evolving nexus between emerging technologies and the art world, empowering them to adeptly navigate this dynamic landscape.
*our definition of web3 encompasses decentralisation, blockchain, immersive internet and generative AI
WAC Museums offers an exclusive and intensive six-week training designed explicitly for cultural institutions embarking on their web3 journey. This program covers a diverse range of topics, from the fundamental principles of web3 to the innovative applications of blockchain for museums, the boundless potential of immersive computing and the metaverse, and the transformative influence of generative artificial intelligence.
By participating in our program, your team will be equipped with profound insights into the evolving nexus between emerging technologies and the art world, empowering them to adeptly navigate this dynamic landscape.
*our definition of web3 encompasses decentralisation, blockchain, immersive internet and generative AI
Important Dates
- Open Call Launch: December 1st, 2023
- Application Deadline: January 15, 2024
- Program Start Date: February 12th, 2024
- Program End Date: March 24th, 2024
Our Areas of Research
- 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.
What will you learn?
The program covers a range of topics, including the origins and ethics of web3, history of on-chain, making sense of the NFT market, understanding the potential of DAOs, decentralized ledgers, security, and privacy in blockchain. It also explores web3 use cases for museums (e.g., art acquisitions, audience engagement, digital exhibitions), immersive technologies (e.g., metaverse, VR, AR), AI basics, AI generative models, AI in content creation, and the ethical, environmental, and legal aspects of web3.
The program covers a range of topics, including the origins and ethics of web3, history of on-chain, making sense of the NFT market, understanding the potential of DAOs, decentralized ledgers, security, and privacy in blockchain. It also explores web3 use cases for museums (e.g., art acquisitions, audience engagement, digital exhibitions), immersive technologies (e.g., metaverse, VR, AR), AI basics, AI generative models, AI in content creation, and the ethical, environmental, and legal aspects of web3.
What will you get from it?
- 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.
- Shape your own opinion on whats going on and how these emerging technologies can fit you best.
- Be 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.
Conditions to participate
- This program is intended for arts and culture institutions including museums, foundations and art centers. Non profit cultural institutions are encouraged to apply.
- Have a minimum of 3 team members joining the training program.
- Weekly commitment of 2 hours of live meetings, 2 hours of asynchronous video training, 30 min of live coaching session, and 1 hour of mentoring session (optional but suggested).
Application process
And, if you have been asking yourself, yes participation to this training program is free of charge!
- Complete this application form by January 15, 2024. If you have any questions, send us an email: maxime.laprade@wearemuseums.com
- Composed of 10 museum and web3 thought leaders, our jury will review the applications and select 20 cultural institutions.
- The selected institutions will be contacted by January 22, 2024.
And, if you have been asking yourself, yes participation to this training program is free of charge!
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)
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)
Who was part of the second 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 Royal College of Art (United Kingdom) and the Wooko Makandie Foundation (The Netherlands).
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 Royal College of Art (United Kingdom) and the Wooko Makandie Foundation (The Netherlands).
WANT TO JOIN?
Apply now and equip your museum team with the knowledge they need to explore blockchain technology, immersive computing and generative AI.
Application ends on Jan. 15th 2024.
Apply now and equip your museum team with the knowledge they need to explore blockchain technology, immersive computing and generative AI.
Application ends on Jan. 15th 2024.
Ask a question
WAC Museums Unpacked
- Fellows participating to WAC Museums will have access to live and recorded training sessions via an online training platform. Weekly live meetings with AMA will provide a space for conversations and knowledge-sharing. Dedicated coaches will support the teams on a weekly basis to provide feedback and resources to ensure a smooth web3 onboarding. One-to-one mentoring sessions with top-experts from the web3 art space will provide precious expertise and discussions. Access to a large database of resources will solidify the training.
Fellows can expect to become web3-literate, gain a deep understanding of how the web3 space will affect their sector, learn how to leverage the technology for their institution's long-term advantage, and become part of a network of innovative arts and culture institutions venturing into web3.
The courses cover a range of topics including an introduction to web3, onboarding on web3, security and data storage in the web3 space, DAOs and governance, metaverse for cultural institutions and audience engagement, AI-generative models for cultural institutions, social and environmental impact, blockchain technology for cultural institutions, the web3 art space, embarking colleagues on their web3 journey, communication and marketing in the web3 space, and community building and engagement.
The WAC Fellowship program lasts for a total of 12 weeks, with a commitment of a minimum of 3 hours weekly.
- This program is intended for arts and culture institutions including museums, art foundations, art centers. 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.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/RP1hwsT6toRWbMUS6
Examples include the LAS Art Foundation's "Life After BOB" exhibition and "True Name" NFT experience, BeFantastic's live minting experiment for art fair audience engagement, HEK - House of Electronic Arts' NFT Shop launch, and the Royal College of Art's generative art collections on fx(hash).
Fellows are expected to attend training, co-creation workshops, and mentoring sessions, and will collaborate on a brief for an innovative web3 use-case for the arts and culture sector, which will be submitted to an online global hackathon.
WAC Museums programs are free of charge for fellows.
WAC Lab has been blockchain agnostic from its inception, giving the priority to Tezos and Ethereum. However, WAC Factory, aiming to develop tech projects, prioritised the Tezos blockchain in Season 1 and Season 2.