The NFT artist announced the Western Art Dept, a Web3 initiative aimed at attracting more traditional Western-themed artists.
When it comes to Western-themed art, Jeremy Booth is the undisputed leader in the NFT community. But the artist won’t be the only one exploring the Web3 frontier. On Tuesday, he said he wants to bring in more creators and lead them to show greener pastures.
Booth announced the formation of the Western Art Dept., a project aimed at integrating traditional Western artists into the Web3 domain and recruiting established NFT creators who can pay homage to the historical genre.
The Western Art Dept will debut as a collection hosted on the NFT art platform, Foundation, in early May. Booth stated that showcasing 1-of-1 NFTs from a variety of artists is an opportunity to showcase talent and introduce more of the Wild West to the digital space.
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“It’d be really nice to see more Western art represented in the space because it’s got a really rich history on the traditional side of art,” he said. “At the time when I started doing it in the space, I felt like I was the only one.”
Booth usually makes digital art that is sold as a unique, single edition NFT. However, earlier this year, the artist released the open edition “Boots” mint, from which more than 6,000 NFTs were made in just 24 hours.
According to the NFT platform OpenSea, Boots NFTs have sold 587 ETH, which is worth more than $1.2 million.
Even though they were only made to be a digital treasure with a low price, Booth said that Boots owners will be able to burn their NFTs to get artwork made by other artists and commissioned by the Western Art Dept.
The endeavor is based on conversations Booth has had with Robert Hagan, a painter who has been exhibited in numerous U.S. galleries over the course of his decades-long career.
Booth characterized Hagan as a legacy artist skilled at portraying Western-themed landscapes and subjects. He stated that the Western Art Dept will “give [Hagan] his own space for a day or two” to commemorate the 75-year-old artist’s impending Web3 debut.
“I’ve been having an open dialogue with him for several months now, kind of preparing him to release his first NFT,” Booth said. “What we want to do long-term is develop relationships with traditional artists and then get them onboarded.”
Booth put the Western Art Dept. on his back last week by walking around New York City during the NFT.NYC meeting while wearing a custom Wrangler jacket with its name on it.
The jacket’s patch also had an NFC (near-field communication) chip that people could scan with their phones to get a “proof of friendship” NFT from Concrete Cowboys.
