Please describe your proposed solution.
Blockchain technologies open up a world of possibilities for human potential. At the moment, those who benefit the most financially from the industry are investors, traders, and software developers. Even though there are some opportunities for artists given the rise of the NFT markets, there is a strong barrier from a technical side. Additionally, the creation of fine art takes time, and the process can be spoiled by the need for a quick buck to make ends meet.
Tangent is very passionate about art, and appreciates the role art has in promoting a rich East Asian culture in the Cardano ecosystem. We propose a grant system for East Asian artists so that they have the capital required to dedicate themselves to generating art that the rest of us can enjoy. We think this is particularly important for East Asian artists with niche styles as it allows them to gain natural exposure to Cardano while simultaneously sharing this niche art with the rest of the world. Often niche artists have the hardest time making money, because they do not fit standard styles. At the same time, it is this form of art that displays the truest, most raw, form of their creativity, making it the most valuable and rich with beauty. East Asian artists deserve support and a platform, and the Cardano blockchain is an incredible technology that can enable just that.
Creating a grant system is a relatively easy task that can be created with little start-up costs, if the grant system were to be solely handled by the Tangent team. However, our goal is to create a system that is decentralized and handled by the community. It is our vision that this system will coincide with the creation of our Tangent DAO. Therefore, we are seeking Catalyst funding to help propel the infrastructure forward in creating a decentralized artist grant funding DAO that can be sustainable and eventually owned by the community
Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.
Raising the awareness levels of artists in East Asia about Cardano network and how they can mint clean (sustainable, low energy intensive POS) NFTs should be a priority for the Catalyst community. Tangent’s East Asian artistic grant proposal aims to address the challenge by creating an engaging dapp that will attract talented aspiring East Asian artists to Cardano and then sponsor them with attractive support packages such as material support, tooling, education, financial support and community recognition.
Many can empathize with the financial struggles of an artist, and even more can appreciate the value that East Asian artists could gain by being sponsored and learning how to mint eco-friendly NFTs on Cardano. We would create a specialized dapp that provides the Cardano community the ability to vote for who receives grant funding, and the candidates would be selected East Asia exclusively. The chosen East Asian artists would receive materials, finance, or simply technical training so that they could create digital art on the Cardano blockchain.
What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?
Providing funding to support someone in their career or venture can be risky. Similar to Catalyst, giving out funding does not guarantee success or that the money will be used wisely. Even though grants will be sent to artists, there is no guarantee that the artists will use the funds to successfully kick-start their artistic career, nor provide the Cardano ecosystem with amazing art. However, with high risk comes high reward, and this is a challenge we are willing to accept. Also we think that sponsorship does not have to necessarily mean financial support only. The support could come in many forms such as materials (laptop to create digital art or brushes and paint to create non digital art that is later digitized), training or simply community spirit and recognition. Another challenge is that we do not have any East Asian team members (yet) so we would be hiring a project manager to work on this project with us from the East Asian Cardano community. However the East Asian Cardano community is very diverse and growing everyday so we do not foresee this being an obstacle for long.
The solution to this challenge is diligence and care in choosing who the grants will be given to. In the beginning, it will be the responsibility of the Tangent team and the community manager to make these decisions. Eventually, it will be up to the Cardano community to propose and choose Artists.