Join us for a conversation about all things NFTs! New York Academy of Art Senior Critic, Dexter Wimberly will moderate a discussion about the NFT market from the perspective of their potential to empower individual artists and artist communities. The panelists will share their experience in this emergent, rapidly evolving space, as well as insights on how NFTs will continue to shape the traditional art world in 2022 and beyond. The panelists will also explore potential pitfalls and ideas on how NFTs can benefit both creators and collectors. Wimberly
will be joined by artists, Kenny Schachter, and Kennedy Yanko, as well as Tam Gryn, Director of Fine Arts at Rally.io, and Sho-Joung Kim-Wechsler, Founder & CEO, If So, What? and XVERSO.
Kenny Schachter has been curating contemporary art exhibits in museums and galleries and teaching (art history and economics) for more than thirty years; presently in the graduate department of the University of Zurich (appointed to advisory board January 2021) professorships at the School of Visual Arts (NY) and New York University. He has lectured internationally, been the recipient of a Rockefeller supported grant in Mexico, and contributed to books on Paul Thek, Zaha Hadid, Vito Acconci and Sigmar Polke/Gerhard Richter. Schachter has a regular column on Artnet.com in addition to writing widely for various international publications including most recently New York Magazine and The Times Magazine (UK).
Kennedy Yanko (b. 1988, St. Louis, MO) is a sculptor and installation artist working in found metal and paint skin. Yanko deploys her materials in ways that explore the limitations of optic vision, underlining the opportunities we miss when looking with eyes alone. Her methods reflect a dual abstract expressionist-surrealist approach that centers the seen and unseen factors that affect, contribute to, and moderate human experience.
Sho-Joung Kim-Wechsler is the founder of the If So, What? Art Fair, an event that merges art, music, and innovation. Forward-thinking, Sho saw the potential for crypto art and NFTs before the current craze. In 2018, within the first 10 minutes of the VIP opening of her inaugural art fair, a prominent collector paid $400,000 for a crypto-themed work of art titled “Yellow Lambo,” by conceptual artist, Kevin Abosch. If So, What? has recently expanded into a new technology platform “XVERSO ” that brings together their community of artists, art professionals, art lovers and collectors through social media and art investments in NFTs and fractional shares. Sho strongly believes that education, both on art and investments, can be performed in a playful and communal way that is fun and open to everyone without any prior art history, extensive investment or software development experience. Sho is the former Head of Finance of online art marketplace Artsy, Director of Finance of 1stdibs, and former VP of Private Equity for Fortress Investment Group. Sho has a lifelong passion for the arts and intends to create a global platform for creativity both offline and online.
Tam Gryn is the Director of Fine Arts at Rally.io, where she helps artists create their own autonomous crypto economies. She is also Head Curator at SHOWFIELDS. She is the former Head of the Curatorial Department of the Artist Pension Trust as well as Head Curator for RAW POP UP. Tam has curated multiple art exhibitions as well as charity fundraisers. Clients and collaborators include The Brooklyn Museum, The Whitney Museum, UTA, Glossier, Heineken, Bankless, Evian, Mastercard, and SVA School of Visual Arts NYC. Originally from Venezuela, Tam studied Art History at the Sorbonne University, Politics at Reichman University and Negotiation at Tel Aviv University.