By Irvin Washington
The spike in demand for digital currency has seen the rise of a new form of “art,” better known as NFTs. For those who don’t know what an NFT is, an NFT, better known as a non-fungible token, is a form of cryptocurrency, which is non-fungible, meaning they only have one of its types and can’t be traded for the same thing.
NFTs take the form of art pieces, or as some call them, “trading cards,” which can be bought on the blockchain or with cryptocurrency for users to keep or trade.
“You don’t really see paintings or even sculptures anymore, the most you may see now is murals, but that’s it,” said Jody Trevigne, a photographer, and working artist.
Trevigne feels that all the arts that really involve your hands are fading, which is supported by the fact that most paintings and classical work that is seen are usually only circulated through the gallery scene or art museums.
There is also a rise in people creating private collections for themselves, so in some cases, the art may never get out to the public eye.
“Get out and do something, whether it be art or anything else, just get outside more,” Trevigne said.
Students in the printmaking class at the Art Village of the Xavier University of Louisiana work diligently on their art pieces.
“I’m going to say comic art when it comes to comic book artists when you hear about a story or series typically, the writer gets all the credit,” said Gregory Lucien, an Art minor who is also a member of the Advanced Printmaking class. Lucien is a passionate comic book reader and inspiring comic book artist.
“The art is important because the art is what helps drive the story along,” Lucien said.
Printmaking is an artistic process that involves the transferring of images from one plate or block onto another.
“Many of times people only relate printmaking to screen-printing which is popular with making clothes,” said Professor Augustus Jenkins, a veteran printmaker who teaches the printmaking class. “But printmaking is a situation where you have multiple techniques and approaches under one name,” Jenkins added.
Jenkins, who has been a professional artist for more than 20 years, advises students to be trained in all aspects of artistry.
“It’s important to be trained in both classical and digital, neither can be easy, but having both will make you all the better artist,” Jenkins said.