NFT artist Jeremy Booth, known for his Western-themed art, has announced the creation of the Western Art Dept, a project aimed at introducing traditional Western artists into the Web3 space and connecting them with established NFT creators. The initiative will provide these artists with a platform to showcase their work and bring more Western art into the digital realm.
The Western Art Dept will debut in early May as a unique collection hosted on the NFT art platform, Foundation. It will showcase 1-of-1 NFTs from various artists, offering an opportunity to highlight their talent while expanding the presence of Wild West-inspired art in the digital space. Booth, considered the NFT world’s leading Western artist, expressed his enthusiasm for bringing more Western art to the digital world, stating that the genre has a rich history in traditional art.
The project was born from Booth’s conversations with painter Robert Hagan, a renowned artist with a decades-long career and a skill for depicting Western-themed landscapes and subjects. Hagan has been represented in several galleries across the United States, and the Western Art Dept will give him and other traditional artists their own space to celebrate their entry into the Web3 realm. Booth has been preparing Hagan for the release of his first NFT and aims to develop long-term relationships with traditional artists to bring them on board.
Booth has a strong presence in the NFT market, with his open edition “Boots” mint attracting significant attention earlier this year. Over 6,000 NFTs from the drop were minted within 24 hours, and Boots NFTs have so far accumulated 587 ETH, or over $1.2 million worth of total sales volume, according to NFT marketplace OpenSea. Booth revealed that Boots holders would be able to burn their NFTs, permanently removing them from circulation, to redeem artwork created by other artists and commissioned by the Western Art Dept.
The announcement of the Western Art Dept initiative comes on the heels of the release of a Western-themed profile picture (PFP) NFT collection called Outlaws, which has gained significant traction in the digital art scene. The collection has become a trending project on NFT marketplace OpenSea and has recorded over 2,800 ETH, or $5.8 million in total sales volume since its launch.
