For artist or art collector community members that already have an ETChster profile, the platform’s mapping capability is not news, but you may not have realized that an organic mural world map has been developing.
For 2023, we’re committed to making those mapped murals available to the public in a free, standalone application that gives artists the attribution they deserve and makes it easy to find out their story.
Of course, participation as an artist will be 100% free (for up to 100 Etchings) and sharing of the map will be permitted as long as it’s accomplished in a supportive, non-exploitive manner.
Read on to find out how you can participate in and support this global public art initiative.
Why Would We Map the World’s Murals?
This project fits with ETChster’s overall mission for a number of reasons:
The Public Map Elevates Public Art
Globally, recognition for public art’s intrinsic value and impact in transforming living conditions in the neighborhoods it inhabits is growing, but any analysis of government expenditure on public art versus other so-called “discretionary” spending would show that investment as significantly less than other questionable purchases.
For public art that already exists, finding the story is often too laborious and time-consuming. It’s not that public observers aren’t interested, they just don’t have the time to do the detective work to find out about an artist.
It Uses Technology to Solve a Societal Pain Point
We hear quite a bit about technology being used against the advancement of civilization: Twitter as a megaphone for hate speech and the incitement of violence, AI being built with racial bias, and an ever more concerning the proliferation of robotic war machines.
On the other hand, humanity has never had more access to information (and potentially wisdom). And there are plenty of people that are looking for new perspectives. We’ve simply applied concepts found in Wikipedia and IMDB to make it easier to find out about visual artists and their perspectives.
Artists Can Benefit Economically
Building an art business is challenging. Crista Cloutier has made a career of helping people on that journey.
When an artist gets a mural commission, that’s a huge stamp of approval and sign of progress. From a physical perspective, it’s like having a billboard on display that paid you to create it. However, there’s so much friction when murals aren’t connected to artist stories that they rarely drive new business for the artist.
With murals documented in Etchings (physical NFTs), it’s super simple to click over to the artist’s profile and see what else they have done and what they have for sale.
What Info on the Murals Does the Map Contain?
The global mural map will use ETChster’s existing Etching technology, housed within The Encyclopedia of Objects.
Each mural will automatically get an ETC # that can be added to the physical site in paint or via a plaque. And each Etching is a powerful tool to connect that particular mural with the artist’s broader story and profile:
- A description that includes the mural’s story, who commissioned it, what it depicts, and more
- Up to 5 photos
- A process statement
- The physical address
- A link to the artist’s profile, which contains the artist’s other works including work for sale
- Videos (paid feature)
When Will the Mural World Map Launch?
Many murals already have Etchings within The Encyclopedia of Objects. Our minimum goal to go live is to have murals documented in the capitals of 80% of countries globally to make the map publicly available with more coverage in larger countries with multiple population centers.
Artists who already have ETCster profiles can get confirmation from the development team that their Etchings are already included.
With the broader art community’s support, we anticipate going live with the web-based version of the world mural map by mid-2023 and launching both the Android and iOS versions of the free app by the end of 2023.
As this is a newer project, feel free to check in on progress and feel free to request sponsorship opportunities.
What Muralists Are Featured on the Map?
All artists are welcome to include murals that are publicly visible. As an artist, simply claim your profile within The Encyclopedia of Objects and then start creating free, physical NFTs of your murals.
You can then contact the ETChster team through the app to let them know that you have murals ready for inclusion in the mural map.
The beauty of building the mural map on top of The Encyclopedia of Objects as all of the text-based search is already part of the project so you can find artists and individual pieces of art by name, location, genre, associations, etc.
With the muralists included in the project, non-mural art is welcome in their art portfolios as well. It simply won’t have a map pin on the global mural map.
How Can I Suggest Inclusion?
If you come across a mural that deserves inclusion in the map, it first needs an Etching. Simply use the ETChster app’s “Request Etching” feature to make a gentle suggestion to the artist that potential fans want to know more about their art.
As an Artist, How Can I Get My Murals Included?
For artists, it’s 100% free to claim a profile within The Encyclopedia of Objects and create and hold up to 100 Etchings (physical NFTs) at a time.
If you don’t have 100 murals, feel free to create Etchings of works in other media. You’re welcome to list works for sale on your profile, but they won’t appear directly in the mural map.
Follow these steps:
We’ll confirm that your murals have been added and put you on the update mailing list as well.
- Create a free artist profile (a maintenance-free website is included)
- Record each mural as an individual Etching
- When ready for inclusion, set each mural for the mural map to “Public”
- Send a note through the in-app support to the team to add your murals
How Will I Access the Mural World Map?
For those of you who are from Georgia in the United States, you’re already familiar with how the world mural map will be deployed.
ETChster uses its Etchings and user database to power the documentation of the art and then makes the free, public map available on ETChster.com and to any other parties who wish to embed the map on a website.
Once we go live, we’ll also deploy download apps in both the Android and iOS app stores.
Are My Inclusions Physical NFTs?
Yes, Etchings are free, non-crypto NFTs.
What does that mean?
- Murals you include are permanently recorded in The Encyclopedia of Objects with the story you choose to tell
- Your murals are always attached to your artist profile so attribution and authenticity are handled
- Even if your murals get destroyed or covered, the digital record is always available
- For your commissioned murals, you can create the NFT and then transfer it to the purchaser (the mural still shows in the global mural map)
Is There a Cost to Be Included?
No, there is no cost to include up to 100 murals. That includes the NFTs and your artist profile.
If you need more capacity, a $50/year upgrade to ETChster Pro boosts your capacity/inventory to 1000 works of art and adds profile customization, video inclusion and other marketing tools.
Whether using the free or Pro versions, you’re welcome to promote non-mural art on your artist profile as well. ETChster does not charge a commission on the sales that originate via your artist profile within The Encyclopedia of Objects.
For anyone interested in learning more about murals on public display, access to the global mural map is 100% free for both web-based and download app versions.
How You Can Help Grow the Mural Map
If you’re a muralist, please get your murals uploaded as soon as you can. Follow the in-app instructions to create great Etchings that will inform and delight potential fans.
If you’re an art community member, please reach out about sponsorship opportunities. Positioning your firm as a backer of public art globally is a great way to introduce your culture to broader audience and delight your employee base.
For everyone, if you know a muralist that isn’t aware of the project, please let them know so they’ll get the exposure they deserve!
