DeFi Arts Intelligencer - Dec. 19th, 2020

Welcome to the 48th issue of the DeFi Arts Intelligencer, your weekly source for key happenings around Ethereum art, collectibles, games, finance, and more. Subscribe here!

Also, I wanted to say thank you to all my readers this year.

Since Jan. 2020, you’ve helped me build out this publication as a useful avenue for learning more about NFTs and Ethereum’s blooming culture scene. Now it’s time to take things to the next level.

In Jan. 2021, the Intelligencer is going bankless and rebranding to Metaversal. I’ll start publishing my weekly write-up as a new NFT-focused sub-newsletter of Bankless, one of Ethereum’s premier media publications.

You’ll still get the same great NFT news straight to your inbox, personally curated by me as always. We’ll just be educating a wider audience on NFTs now. Cheers to that 🥂

🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶

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Thanks to the Intelligencer’s sponsor this month, F1 Delta Time! The NFT sports arena is blooming, and F1 Delta Time is one of the biggest projects in that sector right now. The Formula 1 blockchain-based game has brought in 100s of ETH worth of transactions in recent weeks, which shows the game is booming lately. Keep it on your radar accordingly!

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For this dispatch:

🎨 Digital Art & Collectibles

• Who’s the Controller Now?, a new Async Art masterpiece from Hidden Forces, is now open for bidding through Christmas Day. Learn more on the fascinating story that inspired this powerful new work in my latest write-up for the artist.

  Async Art @AsyncArt

  "Who's the controller?" by @ForcesHidden is the modern twist on #DiegoRivera "Man at Crossroads" mural, which was tragically torn down by the Rockefellers. Learn more from @WPeaster on #AsyncEdition: edition.async.art/blog/cryptoart… Current high bid of 5 ETH: async.art/art/master/0xb…

  

• Cryptoart platform SuperRare rolled out timed auction functionalities to all of its artists.

• The artists Pak and Trevor Jones took Nifty Gateway by storm this week with a series of epic collaborative drops …

  Eric Young @etyoung

  Success!! 🥳🎉🍾 After two weeks of mild warfare, so pleased to have acquired these beauties. 💎💎💎💎 @trevorjonesart @muratpak Thank you so much for your creations. 🙏🙏 They're ALL spectacular!!! 🤩

  

• Programmable art platform Async Art is hosting a fun Async Holiday gift campaign, check it out and maybe snag a gift yourself!

• Sean Ono Lennon released his first cryptoart through Rarible …

  Sean Ono Lennon @seanonolennon

  Bids picking up for my very first experimental 1/1 #NFTart on @rariblecom made from what was my first digital drawing w a stylus. I normally draw on paper. Been told I need to set an end time so auction will end tomorrow at noon #crypto #eth #etharian :

  

  app.rarible.comEtharian 1This is my first minted Etharian.

• RAC and Reisinger Andres have a new piece out on SuperRare, “Elephant Dreams Part III” …

  RAC @RAC

  It’s here ✨ @reisingerandres x @RAC Elephant Dreams Part III 🍎 >> on @SuperRare superrare.co/artwork-v2/ele…

  

• The #onchain movement in cryptoart is really important. Here’s a stark example of why …

  XCOPY 🏴 @XCOPYART

  this is how off-chain cryptoart looks 2 years later when the platform fails (that’s their logo - RIP @digitalobjects_ )

  

🕹️ Blockchain Games

• Lending and borrowing Axies for popular Ethereum game Axie Infinity is about to get a whole lot easier courtesy of new community project AxieTree.

  AxieTree @AxieTree

  Introducing axietree.com. Borrow and lend Axies. Coming December 25th.

  

  axietree.medium.comIntroducing AxieTreeAxie Infinity exploded this year and is primed to be even more exciting in 2021. We are very pleased to announce our contribution to the Axie Infinity ecosystem: AxieTree. New players will be able to…

• The Axie Infinity team announced the winners of its plot design contest …

  Axie Infinity @AxieInfinity

  1/ We were blown away by the beauty and creativity of your submissions for the plot design contest! Judging these was incredibly difficult. In the end, 3 submissions rose above the rest through our internal voting.

  

• F1 Delta Time released the first phase of its Grand Prix game mode …

  F1® Delta Time @F1DeltaTime

  🔥@F1DeltaTime Grand Prix™ Mode - Phase 1 is LIVE!!🔥 The much anticipated moment is here, read all the details below and get in to the action NOW at: f1deltatime.com f1deltatime.medium.com/f1-delta-time-…

  

  f1deltatime.medium.comF1® Delta Time — Grand Prix™ Mode — Phase 1 ReleaseAnnouncing the news that players have all been waiting for: the F1® Delta Time Grand Prix™! Phase 1 of the action-based racing game will be open to all players! Use your knowledge of tracks and cars…

♦️♦️ DeFi News

• The ETH price boomed this week (currently ~$647), and Ethereum’s future is brighter now than it’s ever been …

  Anthony Sassano | sassal.eth 🏴 @sassal0x

  $ETH first hit $500 on November 29th, 2017 during the late stages of the last bull market. Recently, $ETH hit $500 again so I decided to track how a few different metrics have grown since November 29th, 2017.

  

• Trading protocol Uniswap went beast mode in DeFi this year. Legendary cryptoartist XCOPY created an ode to Uniswap creator Hayden Adams as part of CoinDesk’s “Most Influential 2020” campaign …

  XCOPY 🏴 @XCOPYART

  King of the DeFi Degens: @haydenzadams 🙌 @CoinDesk #mostinfluential2020 @niftygateway

  

• Tired of hunting around for testnet ETH for your Ethereum project? Look no further, the MyCrypto team has you covered with a new faucet app …

  beta.mycrypto.com @MyCrypto

  Need Testnet $ETH? You can now receive Ropsten, Rinkeby, Kovan, and Goerli ETH with our new faucet. Try it 👉 app.mycrypto.com/faucet

  

📰Fresh Content

• 📰 “TokenSmart NFT Humpday Report #12: Beeple's Back. Back Again. Beeple's Back. Tell a Friend!”- me, for nft42

• 📰 “Digital Civilization & The Metaverse” - matthew.cent.eth

Thanks for reading, and stay creative on- and off-chain!

Keep an 👁️ out for the 49th issue of the DeFi Arts Intelligencer this time next week, too. Cheers ✌️

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About DeFi Arts Intelligencer

The DeFi Arts Intelligencer is curated by me, William M. Peaster, a professional writer and editor who’s been tracking the Ethereum and DeFi beats in recent years.

I’m passionate about art and a DeFi/NFT optimist, so putting together this newsletter is both fun and informative for me. I hope others may find the content helpful, too. But be mindful, the information herein should not be construed as investment advice. I’m not a financial adviser, and these are my opinions. Always take care to seriously consider the various layers of risk you face in participating in the still-maturing cryptoeconomy.

If you have a DeFi tip or lead, questions or comments, or would be interested in commissioning me for a writing gig, you can ping me at wmpeaster@gmail.com or on Telegram at @wmpeaster.

If you enjoy this newsletter and want to support it, feel free to subscribe or have a like-minded friend subscribe as well. I have collected NFTs open for offers, too, as well as my own art NFTs available. Tips also accepted at wmpeaster.eth. Thanks kindly!