I have spent the last couple of years collecting, curating, and analyzing the digital art market. I am perhaps one of the few collectors who came from the physical world of collecting. After having amassed what I would consider a significant portfolio of works from a diverse array of artists, only to be robbed of more than half my collection, I sought solace in the world I knew best - blockchain.

The digital art world promises immutable provenance, unlimited portability, and a new medium upon which artists can tell their stories and express their unbounded creativity. As a collector, it also allowed me to engage directly with the artists I patronize, a feature of this nascent industry I hold dearly.

Since 2021, I have yearned for a way to collect, curate, and connect with like-minded art lovers worldwide. I ran a weekly X Space for about a year, during which I had the opportunity to connect with artists globally. I heard their stories and sopped up their critical perspectives on the market and the tools and services they used to develop, promote, and sell their work. While the show was a great way to keep my finger on the pulse of things and connect with artists, it didn't scratch my itch.

As a developer, I always think about creating something that provides value to many people from a single source. When I discovered Farcaster, one of the first things I did was reserve the /artist channel. I didn't know how initially, but I understood that Farcaster provided a broad platform for creating tools and rewarding people. I believed that it could be a way for me to effectively pursue a patronage model where I could support multiple artists.

Curators drive renaissance

There is still no perfect way to consume artwork onchain. There are some fantastic ongoing experiments, like Zora, Rodeo, View Art, Shelf, and the like. But as yet, there is no de facto method through which a collector (digital-native or otherwise) can collect, support, and grow alongside the artists they patronize. I ascribe this problem primarily to a lack of reward for curators and tastemakers in the space.

Without returns driven by increased popularity, broader reach, and other factors that make physical or "traditional" artists' work rise in value, curators and collectors are left engaging with the market for the love of the game. For many, this is not enough. For a good reason: IRL curators can take home six-figure salaries just for their knowledge and taste. Why would they spend time in web3, where artists are known to be flighty, have little or no marketing prowess, and are siloed within an industry that regularly struggles with public perception?

Still, curators are essential in the larger scheme of things that drives an art market. Without keen tastemakers, pivotal movements like the Harlem Renaissance and even Modern Art as we know it today would not exist. Yet, there still are very few (if any) ways for curators to monetize their taste.

Enter /rounds

If you're unaware, rounds are a tool developed by the Nouns DAO to enable easy reward distribution of any token to a group of people based on a set of customizable criteria.

I decided to experiment with rounds last week to see if I could accomplish several goals simultaneously:

1. Generate genuine discussion about art

2. Reward dozens of artists

3. Grow the /artist channel

4. Grow my reach

5. Generate sales of the /artist Moxie Fan Token

How did I fare? Let's dive in and find out.

/artist rounds post-mortem

As it stands, /artist is essentially my personalized curation feed. I mostly quote cast artwork from throughout Farcaster that I find interesting, typically with a little quip and sometimes with information about the artist. I especially love artwork accompanied by narrative, and I find myself sharing that more often than simply sharing imagery.

As such, my goal for /artist is to reach beyond the typical art shilling channels. There are plenty of spaces for that form of content.

Hence, my first round was centered around this very subject: art with narrative.

I challenged artists to submit works accompanied by a story. As a reward, I put up 50,000 of my own $MOXIE to be split among those curated. As with all my endeavors, I ventured forth with zero expectation. The results, however, exceeded my expectations.

I also enabled anyone who decided to purchase the Fan Token the ability to curate via engagement and further allowed anyone holding 10+ Fan Tokens to appear on the main feed immediately, without moderation.

Channel Metrics

Most notably, the round increased engagement in the channel by an immense proportion.

We also saw solid growth in terms of followers.

This checks off goals number one, two, and three. But what about my metrics?

Personal metrics

Similarly, my engagement saw a nice increase.

And so did my following.

Fan Token metrics

The final goal was to increase the value of the /artist channel's $MOXIE Fan Token, which distributes 100% of its earnings to holders. I hope to create a flywheel effect that enables constant patronage and promotion through curation—effectively rewarding myself and others for being tastemakers within the channel.

So, how did we do?

A 21% increase is not too shabby. I'm beyond happy with this result.

Final thoughts

Leveraging Farcaster, Moxie, and Rounds to patronize artists and reward curation appears to be a winning combination. I will refine my methodology and continue experimenting to become more effective and attract more artists, collectors, and curators. But as a start, I'm happy with my progress.

Keep an eye on the /artist channel for the next rounds, which I will announce tomorrow, Tuesday, September 17th, 2024.