Van Gogh Museum and Palais de Tokyo Join Leading Art Institutions for WAC Lab's Web3 Program

• We Are Museums, in collaboration with the Tezos Foundation and LAL ART, announces the selection of 20 cultural institutions, including Van Gogh Museum and Palais de Tokyo, for WAC Lab Season 3.
• The educational program, led by esteemed experts including Regina Harsanyi, Chris Michaels and others, empowers museums to understand and embrace web3 technologies responsibly. Covering topics from blockchain ethics to decentralized curation, the program prepares institutions for the future.
• With the backing of the Tezos Foundation and guidance from a network of 35 mentors, the program not only shares knowledge but also propels institutions toward WAC Factory, enabling them to transform their learnings into groundbreaking web3 projects.

Organized by We Are Museums, with the generous support of the Tezos Foundation, and in partnership with LAL ART, WAC Lab proudly unveils the selection of cultural institutions that will soon shape the future of web3:

Cleveland Public Library (United States), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (United States), Design Museum Brussels (Belgium), Die Neue Sammlung, Pinakothek der Moderne (Germany), Domaine national de Chambord (France), Fundación Uxío Novoneyra (Spain), Grand Egyptian Museum (Egypt), House of Arts Veszprém (Hungary), Hungarian National Museum (Hungary), IKSV - Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (Turkey), Museum Ulm (Germany), Muzeul National de Arta Timisoara (Romania), Palais de Tokyo (France), Parque Explora Corporation - Interactive Science Museum (Colombia), Sigg Art Foundation (Belgium), Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (Greece), Swiss National Museum (Switzerland), The Kyiv National Art Gallery (Ukraine), Van Gogh Museum (The Netherlands), and XR HUB Bavaria (Germany).

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, where arts institutions are confronted with multifaceted challenges stemming from shifts in societal norms, environmental concerns, and economic dynamics, emerging technologies like web3 (blockchain-based technology) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) are poised to usher in a transformative era, opening up a multitude of unprecedented opportunities for museums and cultural organizations to reinvent their roles, engage audiences in innovative ways, and navigate the complex intersection of art, technology, and society. Recognizing the pressing need for arts and culture organizations to embrace these emerging technologies, WAC Museums educational program offers an exclusive and intensive six-week training designed specifically for cultural institutions.

After two successful cohorts that led to starting the web3 journey of the Musée d’Orsay, the LAS Art Foundation, and House of Electronic Arts (HEK), among other top-tier international institutions, a remarkable cohort of 20 institutions has been selected by 8 judges for WAC Lab Season 3. This selection follows a 45-day open call, during which we received applications from 35 countries across the globe, representing a pivotal moment in the evolution of the arts and culture sector.

WAC Museums training program is designed to equip museum professionals with the tools to not only understand the ongoing web3 revolution but also foster critical thinking about its ethical, social, legal, and environmental implications.

Through a tested blend of online training, live sessions, and guidance from leading experts like Regina Harsanyi (Associate Curator of Media Arts at New York Museum of the Moving Image), Chris Michaels (Creative R&D Strategy Consultant), Sonja Thiel (Digital Catalyst Artificial Intelligence / Lead Creative User Empowerment at Badisches Landesmuseum), Oonagh Murphy (Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths, University of London) and Pierre Noro (trainer at Sciences Po and Learning Planet Institute), participants gain profound insights into web3, AI, and immersive technologies.

This all-encompassing curriculum delves into the origins and ethics of web3, the history of on-chain art, and the demystification of the NFT market. It also explores the potential of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), decentralized ledgers, and essential aspects of blockchain technology, such as security and privacy, ensuring that institutions are well-prepared to responsibly and safely embrace blockchain technologies.

The program also delves into practical web3 applications for museums, including art acquisitions, innovative audience engagement strategies, decentralized curation, and the acquisition and exhibition of blockchain art. It explores fundraising methods, digital replicas, perpetual donation models, and loyalty programs as part of a holistic approach to museum operations in the digital age.

“Good luck to the third cohort of We Are Museums’ WAC Lab. We wish participants a memorable learning and personal development experience in your passion for Art, which the Tezos Foundation actively shares with you through its many commitments in this field. The Tezos art community has always embraced innovation and we look forward to seeing how this diverse cohort of institutions contributes to shaping the future of the arts and culture sector,” said Jean-Frédéric Mognetti, Executive Director of the Tezos Foundation.

New this year, two weeks will be dedicated to the boundless potential of immersive computing and the metaverse, and the transformative influence of generative artificial intelligence. In addition to technological aspects, ethical, environmental, and legal considerations of web3 will be explored to ensure institutions are well-equipped to embrace web3 technologies responsibly.

Moreover, a network of 35 accomplished mentors, including Wade Wallerstein (Gray Area, Outland), Nina Roehrs (Roehrs & Boetsch), Judy Mam (dada.art), Anika Meier (Expanded.art), Gretchen Andrew (artist), John Karp (NFT Factory), Elena Zavelev (CADAF, LiveArt), Brian Droitcour (Outland) Alex Estorick (Right Click Save), Hugo Santana ‘Kaloh’ (Kaloh’s Newsletter & Podcast, Blind Gallery), Fanny Lakoubay (LAL ART Advisory) and Charlotte Kent (Montclair State University), will provide guidance and insights throughout the program, ensuring participants receive unparalleled support and expertise.

Cultural institutions ready to develop a project using blockchain tech, immersive computing have the opportunity to advance to WAC Factory, our 4-week accelerator program for cultural institutions. It offers a tech adoption accelerator with proper matching with a tech integrator, coaching, mentoring, and product management. Applications are currently running via this link.

“Since 2021, we’ve been pioneers, igniting the revolution with web3 technologies in the museum sector, witnessing a myriad of transformative use cases and emerging trends,” said Diane Drubay, Founder of We Are Museums. “The future looks bright and we’re energized to see how this new cohort will lead the way for the cultural sector.”

WAC Lab is proud to continue for the third year in a row its mission of fostering innovation, education, and collaboration within the arts and culture sector, with the invaluable support of the Tezos Foundation and all the museum and web3 experts who are part of the WAC LAB ecosystem.