Our current digital world has created immense opportunities for so many. Over the last decade, innovation in digital spaces has set the framework for all kinds of communities to blossom and for many cultural creators to find success. One of the most exciting opportunities to emerge in this space has been Web3, a decentralized web platform centered around the blockchain that’s being touted as the future of the internet.
Though it has been met with some uncertainty and skepticism, the world of Web3 and the innumerable NFTs spawned in its wake seem to be beckoning us into the future. That future, though, remains unclear and unexplored: a new frontier to be ordered and shaped as it is discovered. HXOUSE, a Toronto-based think-center, incubator, and accelerator, is taking on the daunting task of mapping and attempting to define the future of Web3. To investigate the future of digital communities, particularly as it relates to the further integration of Web3, HXOUSE is bringing together multidisciplinary creatives from different cities to discuss.
StockX has partnered with HXOUSE to deliver keynote events and discussions on these topics at a global scale. The result is a collaborative international tour that takes HXOUSE’s unique blend of multidisciplinary learning and makes it accessible to new markets. This year, StockX and HXOUSE will host seven events in cities across North America followed by another five events internationally in 2023. At each event, StockX and HXOUSE will host cultural voices from each city to break down the creatives’ unique points of view and talk about how they’re disrupting their respective industries.
StockX and HXOUSE are currently in the middle of an international tour that includes seven events in North America. So far, the North American tour that started in Toronto has stopped in New York City and Chicago. The third StockX x HXOUSE panel featured two of Chicago’s most prominent multidisciplinary creatives: Brittany Pierre and Brandon Breaux. At each previous stop, community and its function in digital spaces has dominated the conversations of the StockX x HXOUSE panels. In Chicago, the discussion followed similar topics and highlighted the ways that Web3 has enabled artists to take control over their work.
StockX x HXOUSE Chicago Panelist: Brittany Pierre
Brittany Pierre is a great example of how the advent of Web3 in creative spaces can change the fabric of a creator’s life. Pierre is a self-taught filmmaker and photographer who was born in Houston and now resides in Chicago. Her work is rooted in her passion for documenting and telling stories of life in black communities. Pierre’s work found success last year when she began turning her more traditional artwork into NFTs. In less than a year, Pierre’s life changed as she’s made headlines for her groundbreaking transition to a digital-first artist in her work. Because of her success, Brittany Pierre is all in on Web3 and NFTs as a platform for creative ownership, trade, and expression. “What I’m excited about is that we’re building our own worlds. We can truly create the worlds that we desire,” Brittany says.
StockX x HXOUSE Chicago Panelist: Brandon Breaux
Brandon Breaux is a Chicago-based creative whose powerful work permeated and transcended the world of hip-hop. Breaux is known best for his iconic illustrations of Chance, the Rapper for the albums 10 Day, Acidrap, and GRAMMY Award-winning Coloring Book. His primary creative outlet is oil painting, though he’s increasingly creating digital art. He’s an early adopter and advocate for Web3, working closely on the Chicago-based ETVerse, a platform that combines NFTs, crypto, Web3 and other new mediums in order to empower creatives through community. “I think virtual spaces will be more prevalent. I sort of see it as a prototype of the future where we’re able to create the world that we want to see,” says Breaux.
