The renowned World Wide Walls street art festival has arrived in Denver, Colorado, hosted by Denver Walls. This international art festival, running from September 22 to October 3, is bringing a new dimension to this year’s event with blockchain-enhanced interactive art.
Since its inception in 2010, World Wide Walls has adorned urban public spaces with murals in 25 international cities, including Honolulu, Seoul, Taipei, Doha, and Tokyo. The Denver Walls edition of the festival, sponsored by the RiNo Art District, has gathered 18 global and local artists to create 17 unique murals across the city as part of its community rejuvenation projects.
While Denver Walls offers a diverse range of events, from artist panels to pop-up galleries, the addition of NFT technology to each mural was a natural choice. Local artist A.L. Grime, the leader of Denver Walls, expressed that integrating a digital element into each mural in collaboration with the COZ team was a logical step. This initiative aims to enhance the viewer’s experience, support local businesses, and contribute to the city’s artistic expression and community spirit.
COZ, founded in 2017, initially started as an open-source community and played a pivotal role in introducing the NEO blockchain. It has since become a respected software development organization in the blockchain industry.
Each mural will feature a bronze plaque describing the artwork, infused with non-fungible item (NFI) technology. Festival attendees can scan the plaques and earn points that can be exchanged for discounts at local businesses, including greengrocers and micro-breweries. Tyler Adams, co-founder of COZ, believes that Denver Walls showcases the meaningful application of NFI technology in enhancing local artistic experiences.
In a separate development, the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced its acceptance of cryptocurrency payments for online services via myDMV. Customers can use PayPal’s crypto service to pay for driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and other services, making Colorado one of the first states to embrace crypto payments for government services.