Denver Walls
Art

DENVER WALLS Merges Art and Blockchain for City Street Art Festival

BY Andrew Rossow

September 28, 2023

The globally acclaimed World Wide Walls street art festival has reached its next destination in the city of Denver, Colorado. 

Hosted by Denver Walls, the international art festival, which has been running since Sept. 22 and continues through Oct. 3, is adding a new spin to this year’s event – blockchain-enhanced interactive art. 

Since 2010, World Wide Walls has brought murals to beautify urban, public spaces in 25 international cities, including Honolulu, Seoul, Taipei, Doha, and Tokyo. This year’s Denver Walls edition is sponsored by RiNo Art District, and brings 18 global and local artists to the city of Denver to help create 17 unique murals throughout the city as part of its community rejuvenation projects. 

Denver Walls, led by local artist A.L. Grime, boasts a diverse range of events ranging from artist panels to pop-up galleries. However, when it came to embedding NFI technology into each mural, Grime said it was “a no-brainer.”

“The goal of Denver Walls is to rejuvenate our urban environments and elevate Denver’s reputation for artistic expression and community spirit,” Grime said, adding that “[w]orking with the COZ team to incorporate a digital element into each mural that supports local businesses and enriches the viewer’s experience was a no-brainer when the opportunity arose.”

Founded in 2017, COZ initially began as an open-source community and was central in introducing the NEO blockchain into the space. It has since become one of the most respected software development organizations in the blockchain industry. 

Tyler Adams, co-founder of COZ, said that these “eye-catching” murals commissioned through the festival will “help breathe character and life into Denver’s urban areas, infusing a blockchain-backed richer experience for those curious to learn more just adds to the benefit for local communities.”

Each mural will have an accompanying bronze plaque detailing the artwork, with each plaque  infused with non-fungible item (NFI) tech that enables festival attendees to scan the artworks and earn points that can be later exchanged for discounts at local businesses, such as greengrocers and micro-breweries. 

Adams also believes that Denver Walls showcases NFI technology and how it can enhance local artistic experiences in a meaningful way.

Colorado’s DMV Now Accepts Crypto

In early September, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced that it would begin accepting crypto payments for online services via myDMV as part of the state’s ongoing commitment to finding practical use case solutions for digital assets.

DMV customers are able to use PayPal crypto to pay for their driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and other services. As of now, PayPal is the only crypto provider that the DMV is accepting. 

Colorado’s DMV is the first government agency in the state to accept crypto, while other states including California, Florida, and New York also looking for use cases to begin accepting crypto payments. 

The state of Colorado has truly been at the forefront of digital asset integration, with the city of Denver hosting the first U.S. election with blockchain technology for overseas ballots in 2022, and of course, playing host to the world’s second-largest blockchain and crypto conference, ETH Denver.

Under the leadership of Ally Grimm, Denver’s edition holds the distinction of being woman and first-generation-owned, intertwining the realms of art, technology, and equality.

Editor’s note: This article was written by an nft now staff member in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-4.

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