DYOR 🔬

Chromie Squiggles are the CryptoPunks of on-chain generative art. In the same way Punks created the profile picture (PFP) movement of recent years, Squiggles opened the floodgates for the on-chain generative art renaissance that’s underway. So the news that the last Squiggles will soon be minted marks the end of an era, and the start of something new.

Squiggles were created by Erick “Snowfro” Calderon and became the poster-child of Calderon’s generative art platform on Ethereum, Art Blocks. Since then, they’ve come to signify the beginning of a movement and have served as an instant badge of recognition for on-chain generative art aficionados. They are, in a word, iconic.

Calderon announced this week that all but two of the last remaining Squiggles would be minted, with the final two (#9998 and #9999) being allocated to "a special commemorative thing” and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), respectively.

As Calderon explains, the 66 new Squiggles have gone to “[a]rtists, collectors, fellow builders, personal friends and supporters, a few institutions, and finally to my family,” with a few held back for future giveaways.

Some might balk at Calderon’s control over the collection, but it’s actually perfectly in keeping with its ethos and mission. The purpose of Squiggles was much more than a proof of concept or a money-making endeavor. Squiggles was a project designed to open people’s eyes to the joys of minting, on-chain generative art, and Ethereum.

In that sense, it’s been a runaway success, not only coming to represent the possibilities of a nascent technology, but introducing thousands to the possibilities of Web3, and creating myriad new generative art lovers in the process. Calderon rewarding supporters and the Art Blocks team with pieces most of them are likely now priced out of is simply the cherry of an already impressive cake.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Calderon’s well onto his next project, Heart + Craft, “an everlasting generative art drop that invites the collector to create a physical counterpart,” that started minting on prohibition.art last month.

With no more Squiggles to mint, speculation about what’s to come will necessarily come to an end, but we expect interest in the collection will only grow as they years go by.

Headliners 🤘

• The Lumen Prize revealed the shortlisted artists for the 2023 awards this week, including the four artists shortlisted for the inaugural generative art award, sponsored by Metaversal:

• German airline Lufthansa has launched an NFT-powered loyalty program called Uptrip.

• OpenSea’s added a slew of new standards for creating NFTs with accompanying redeemable physical items:

• MoonPay is running an IRL NFT scavenger hunt around the Seaport area of Manhattan, New York.

• Pioneering (and multi-chain) generative artist, William Mapan, has new work incoming via a collab with LACMA and Cactoid Labs:

• Sportswear brand Adidas’s Three Stripes Studio has unveiled the latest artists to participate in its Residency project, MONKEEMOTO and DearNostalgia (AKA Adra Kandil).

• Artist Refik Anadol’s work tends to be best enjoyed on gigantic digital displays, so it was only a matter of time before it made it onto the Sphere in Las Vegas:

If someone sent you this issue, consider taking the hint by subscribing and joining 7,200+ Metaversalists harnessing the power of decentralized ownership each week. Because even if you don’t read every issue, that way you’ll have it.

NGMI ☄️

This week’s biggest L was chalked up by the SEC, which lost its case against cryptocurrency asset manager Grayscale, potentially opening the door to Bitcoin ETFs in the process, and adding to SEC chair Gary Gensler’s growing list of legal defeats:

Metaversalism 🔥 

• At Metaversal HQ, we sat down with the Lars Wander to talk about quitting his job and the challenges of storing art in a New York apartment:

• Meanwhile, in this week’s From the Collection video, we looked at the iconic work of AI collaborative artist, Claire Silver:

• And, in the latest episode of HyperCulture we looked at the power of memes, and why they’re impossible for our reptilian brains to resist:

To those of you reading this in the United States, happy Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the US Open tennis tournament and the sunshine, while you can. To those of you reading this somewhere else… well… at least there’s the tennis, and possibly the first signs of spring. 🎾

Connect for more 🔌

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Until next time, see you in the metaverse… or in Las Vegas, mesmerized by the Sphere. 👀