Journalism: Creative Economy, Policy in The Arts, Web3
Los Angeles Review of Books
“Unfortunate Students of War”: Arming Refugee Children with Art” in the Los Angeles Review of Books. July 24, 2022
“ ‘Children of war tell the truth. Here, on the edge of so much violence, we have come to see how apprenticeship is an act of intervention,’ Nicoleta Zagura, founder of the Bucharest-based project Art 4 Ukraine, told me over WhatsApp the first week of July. It has been an harrowing few months, and Zagura speaks to me after securing homes in Germany, Holland, France, South Korea, Azerbaijan, and Mexico for Ukrainian refugee children and families. She tells me she is concerned for their longterm psychological wellbeing, yet at least she has been able to arm them with art.”
“How to Protect the Artist Refugee” in the Los Angeles Review of Books. April 27, 2022
“First, working artists who are fleeing war should be afforded a level of protection similar to that of cultural monuments. In moments of crisis, the intrinsic value of artists is equal to the monuments and cultural artifacts they create. This request is complex: artist refugees are not more important than non-artist refugees; more infrastructure for more bureaucratic systems would not be helpful to anyone; and when it comes to distributing funds to artists in a world riddled with fraud, this adds another route for scammers. Yet, given these realities, it is crucial to consider that the United Nations named 2021 the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development (a $2.2 trillion economy). We must step back to value both this economy and, more critically, the artists and creators driving it.”
“Portrait of the artists” — Profiles on artists in web3 — commissioned by the near foundation
Sarah Kornfeld (within the RISING DAO on the NEAR Platform) has been commissioned by the NEAR Foundation to develop:
“Portrait Of The Artists — NFT AS PORTRAITURE”
We are creating in-depth reports — part analysis/part art — that explore the innovation of global communities (as DAOs) of artists/creatives on the Blockchain. This work is done with members of our Rising DAO, and in collaboration with other creative DAOs on the Blockchain.
We interview those who are making real change through modes of social innovation, artistry, and the use of the blockchain itself to advance the arts and culture. These portraits will be provided to the world as an NFT, and each DAO will receive a percentage of each sale.
Upcoming portraits include:
September: Portrait # 1, Lagos, Nigeria —“Artists of a New Planet”
October: Portrait #2, Sao Paolo, Brazil — “Exile, trauma and love – Visions of a human-centric education through artist interventions”
November: Portrait #3, San Francisco/Oakland
December: Portrait #4, Kyiv or Paris