Despite the fact that NFTs have taken the art world by storm in the last year, no institutions are solely committed to blockchain-based art. That is changing with the recent opening of the Seattle NFT Museum, which aims to celebrate digital artists who have risen to prominence since the emergence of NFTs. Disease outbreak closures and reprioritized government spending have put financial strain on the world’s public museums. Nonetheless, despite the impressive sales figures generated by NFTs, few institutions have investigated this digital content as a donation method.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a sort of digital asset that has recently gained prominence, with NFTs for Muesums artworks fetching millions of dollars. NFTs reside on a blockchain, which is a database of transactions maintained by networked computers. Since its inception, the museum has served as a venue for artists, makers, and collectors to exhibit their NFTs in a physical environment, while also attempting to educate the masses about this relatively new world of digital art. An NFT is essentially a contract that denotes ownership of some form of asset.

In truth, the monetization that is frequently touted as the key benefit for museums looking to enter the NFT market may not be as simple as it appears. First, museums must determine whether selling their existing collections would jeopardize public access to collections in any manner, potentially breaking their goals and bylaws. Second, they must have procedures in place to ensure that proceeds from sales related to the collection are properly reinvested. Furthermore, there is a risk that this approach will unwittingly result in parts of the collection being considered as financial instruments if income is created from them rather than acting purely as artifacts on exhibit for the public.

It remains to be seen whether NFTs will aid brick-and-mortar museums rather than providing new prospects for virtual ones in the future. NFTs are dangerous due to volatility and uncertainty. Though the high prices they might command are enticing, there are numerous examples of NFTs that swiftly lose their value. While there is still uncertainty, how are cultural organizations dealing with NFTs, and what do they mean for the future? Many institutions are currently offering programs and engagement opportunities to help educate audiences about this new occurrence.

Other organizations, still reeling from the effects of a two-year epidemic, have leveraged NFTs to generate awareness and cash through the sale of digital assets. Finally, numerous institutions have begun to collect NFTs for display in their collections.