Project Name
Web3 handbook for artists
Description
We are creating a Web3 handbook for artists with practical and engaging information about what Web3 is, how it works, and how it can be used to advance their careers and the greater good. With the feedback of artists in our network and from the MGD community, we can make these materials impactful and accessible. After we’ve received enough feedback, and the handbook meets our standards – we’ll incorporate it into our media & art theory which forms the backbone of all our projects.
Vision
A decentralized art world in which value is determined by impact, not tastemakers.
Problem
Creativity is being commoditized and the human artist is at risk of becoming obsolete, but blockchain technology can help them bring and find value. However, the technology is misunderstood, and most resources on how to use it are confusing or inaccessible.
Solution/Product
A handbook for media artists to bring and find value in Web3.
How are you encouraging other women/minorities to be part of your community?
I am a 22-year old female Russian immigrant who moved to the United States at the age of 18. I am a member of the LGBT community, creating inclusive resources to share with others. I want to learn by doing, learn by teaching, and offer hope by example. The handbook we create will be written in a language that is easily understood by those for whom English is their 2nd language.
Validation / Traction / Progress so far
Hou Media Arts has already begun developing our art and media theory, and we’ve received praise for it. This handbook will inform that theory and make it even more relevant and useful to artists. We will be able to share this resource in various virtual channels and IRL as soon as it meets our standards.
Team
Luba Omelchenko is an entrepreneurial art director for new media who learns by doing. She’s fluent in English and Russian, but art is her native language. She was born in Kazakhstan & raised by her grandmother, a USSR war veteran and successful entrepreneur. She moved to Thailand by herself to learn English at the age of 14. At 18 she applied to university in Tampa (as a joke) but was accepted, so she jumped at the opportunity to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams in America. She was hired by a reputable real estate developer as an intern. She exceeded her employer’s expectations, but her impact and creativity were unrealized. The academic world felt limiting and uninspiring, so she dropped out and quickly evolved from intern into art director. In late July 2022, she met Chris Caine Lee, a new media artist and humorist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Hou Media Arts was just a little more than a slide deck at the time, a vision of AI artists, working together for the greater good with a mission: to help unearth common ground on fundamental concepts like reality, sentience, intelligence, and universal values. The next day, she made the unsolicited, courageous choice of putting in 2 weeks notice at her day job, so they could make Hou Media Arts a reality. They were both ready to throw their whole hearts and mind into something that feels authentic, current, & impactful. Chris has a degree in Film & Theatre Arts. He’s written, produced, & performed artistic experiments in New Orleans and Austin. He once played an anarchist on a family drama in Los Angeles, but it’s the roles he played in the real world that grounded his previously nihilistic worldview. He’s worked as development & marketing director for an environmental education nonprofit & done new business development for a major packaging company. He excelled at both, but those experiences confirmed his deep need to make an impact & a living as an artist. Working for environmental educators taught him about the dos and don’t of curriculum creation and execution while informing his ideas about the interconnectedness of all life on the planet.
Grant Amount Requested
$10,000
Budget Breakdown
Research $1,800
Writing $1,800
Design $1,800
Social Media Content $1,800
Web3 Consultation $1,000
Feedback Analysis $1,800
How did you hear about MGD’s Funding program?
The Dao Grants list from ethereum.org
Attach any additional documents/resources about the project if you have any.
Art & Media Theory (Work in progress)