The Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal hosted its spring symposium on March 28, focusing on digital art and blockchain, the challenges to art law and the intersection of blockchain technologies and the legal processes governing art transactions.
Professors Christopher Buccafusco and Jeanne Schroeder were moderators. Panelists were in agreement that blockchain opened the doors to collaborating on artwork and democratizing art.
Elena Zavelev, Founder & CEO of New Art Academy, the authority on ArtTech, blockchain & AI for the global art market; said of democratization, “The artists participating on this platform are all over the world. Pretty much anyone can become an artist and start creating a piece on the platform. Collaboratively, the results can be really stunning.”
According to Ross Blum, COO at Quidd, “The accessibility hasn’t changed much from Web 2.0 to blockchain, but there are democratization and growth opportunities, so the technology behind it can get better and better.”
Amy Whitaker, Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Administration at NYU and blockchain researcher and advisor, explained the industry by saying digital art “replicates the art market, with a layer of populism and democratization for taste.”
Other panelists included Steve Schindler, Founding Partner and Head of the Art Law Group at Schindler Cohen & Hochman LLP and Chair of the Art Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association; Tonya Evans, Professor of Law and Chair of the Intellectual Property and Technology Online Programs at the University of New Hampshire School of Law; Derek Fincham, Professor of Law at South Texas College of Law; and Katya Fisher, Partner at Fisher Cataliotti P.C.