A New Period in Art
Addressing the Challenges of Artists and Audiences in the 21st Century:
The mission of .ART is to give artists the freedom and confidence to collaborate in an art-specific top-level domain (TLD). Artists, craftspeople, innovators, and creative thinkers currently compete with countless corporations and individuals for attention on the Internet. In the US alone, 222,000 people were employed as artists or in art and design-related fields in 2008. According to the US Bureau of Labor statistics, this figure is projected to rise to nearly 250,000 by 2018. However, over two million Americans see themselves as artists according to Americans for the Arts, indicating great numbers of individuals invested in their personal artistic identity.
The Economic Impact of Art and Culture:
Much has been written about the economic impact of the arts, which creates complex economies that rely on a mix of public, private and consumer capital. Art not only has the power to transform lives, but will be a vital component of growth and employment over the next decade. The .ART Registry promises to introduce a vibrant and diverse global workshop for encouraging a sense of place and identity for .ART registrants and their audiences.
.ART sees artists as creative engines for new ideas that fuel intellectual, social, and economic growth on local and global levels. Artists play a foundational role in the global art market, which the International Art Market Report (TEFAF Maastricht 2007-2009) estimated as being worth approximately $61 billion for fine and decorative art in 2008. Additionally, the report shows that China has overtaken the US as the worldʹs biggest market for art and antiques. Chinaʹs share of the global art market rose from 23% to 30% in 2011, pushing the US, with 29%, into second place. The United Kingdom, overtaken by China in 2011, remained third with a 22% market share, while France came in fourth with 6% per the report.
As mentioned above, over two million Americans see themselves as artists, reflecting the large portion of society that is comprised of creative individuals, and this trend is replicated in other countries. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which compiles trade statistics, puts culture at the core of its description of the worldwide creative economy. The nonprofit arts and culture industry is an especially important economic driver in local communities—a growth industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue, and is the cornerstone of tourism.
All countries face challenges from the impact of the Internet on their culture and communications. It is important that steps be taken to explore ways to be responsive to these concerns. Part of the .ART Registry operational surplus would be used for funding programs and grants supporting talented artists from around the globe. .ART believes that balanced cultural development happens over time at the neighborhood level and that a healthy communication of ideas promotes social awareness.
Networking Opportunities on .ART:
As in many fields, networking has become crucial to the arts. Connections through.ART could yield tangible economic benefits to registrants. Although the upper echelons of the art world in each country are highly networked and professional, many artists are individualistic and lack mentorship, technology or the skills to solicit equity in their ideas. .ART is designed to provide registrants with their own safe and robust domain space to socialize relevant contemporary and historical art.
The .ART TLD will allow artistic voices to be simultaneously amplified and protected so that the world can discover new and profound creative insights. Artists and arts organizations are currently competing on the web, not only with one another, but also with a nearly infinite array of websites, technologies and competing projects. Creating the .ART TLD will ensure an internationally significant and categorized arena of relevant and high-quality websites from all art-related fields.
Principles of the .ART Registry:
.ART is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse forum for artistic and innovative expression online. The term ʺartʺ is intended broadly and is not a legal or regulatory category or community
.ART strives to provide vigilant protection for artistic rights, and a resolute commitment to the principles of equal opportunity, creativity, equity, privacy and security.
.ART prioritizes respect for intellectual integrity, freedom of inquiry and rational discussion.
.ART registrants will be encouraged to support practices that protect freedom of speech, academic independence and autonomous research.
.ART will explore policy development and guidelines to prevent provenance incidents (disputes involving the creation or chronology of ownership of a work of art), copyright infringement, potential crowd-sourcing legislation, rights concerns and piracy issues.
.ART will explore aggressive strategies to reserve all local, historical, religious, educational, cultural and multilingual .ART-relevant brands online.
.ART will explore efficient strategies to archive important digital art and cultural products and the documentation of physical art from private collections, art-related businesses, and public organizations. This may include ephemeral material from performances, videos, images, photographs, blogs and online “net art” projects.
New Opportunities for Art and Culture:
The first priority of the .ART TLD is to reach out to members of the art field around the world and encourage them to organize, optimize, curate, bookmark and protect all relevant keywords and brands via .ART domains. International co-branding opportunities include workshops for leaders from across the art and design world. We expect artists of all backgrounds and disciplines to use .ART domains to support a better mastery of their skills and to further both their creativity and their careers.
The domain will explore innovative methods to promote and support the launch of local artists and promote their work worldwide. Artists will be offered domains, tools and websites through which to feature ideas and raise questions within the global online community.
.ART will be an open TLD, generally available to all registrants, except in the Sunrise period. The domains could be used for any purpose, including for-profit, non-profit and personal use.
The .ART registry commits to making continuous contributions to support artists and registrants of .ART domain names through various grants that would be made available twice a year, starting from the registry’s second year of operations.
The .ART registry will commit more than ten percent (10%) of net proceeds towards young artists and art projects worldwide, thereby returning a significant portion of domain name fees back to arts organizations that would be further distributed to artists locally. .ART will encourage patrons and benefactors to match or recommend funding strategies that support art.
.ART wholly supports any constructive recommendations and efforts to engage mentors and art leaders. Any and all individuals, patrons, curators and organizations are encouraged to participate in the .ART discussion and help explore strategies to support the broad spectrum of artists and interests that we are currently engaged in fostering.
Your support will help us to design a new platform that will create a safer, and healthier environment for art commerce.
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