“We train underprivileged Filipino artists and then help them find gigs and commissions in the metaverse.”
“Empowering artists to find financial freedom in NFT art, one pixel at a time.”
That’s the vision of Cryptopop Art Guild (CPAG), a metaversal guild for underprivileged Filipino artists founded by Luis Buenaventura (better known as @helloluis).
The NFT art world is constantly expanding and evolving, and among the forces driving this change is Cryptopop Art Guild (CPAG). Founded by a passionate NFT artist and advocate, this non-profit organization has worked tirelessly to uplift and support artists from overlooked parts of the world.
“I’m always looking for paths to financial freedom for artists, particularly the ones like me that are from overlooked parts of the world,” says Luis. “It’s pretty rare for a Filipino to make waves in the art scene, and NFT art has done a lot to reduce the geographical barriers and democratize entry into an otherwise exclusive industry.”
He shares the motivation for creating CPAG: “Cryptopop Art Guild (twitter.com/cryptopopart) is the non-profit foundation that I founded in 2021 using some of the funds I had earned as a result of being one of the artists of CurioCards (the world’s first NFT art collection). We train underprivileged Filipino artists and then help them find gigs and commissions in the metaverse. As of early 2023, we’ve exceeded over $50K in total artist earnings!”
CPAG has made a real impact in the NFT art world. “Ideally, more inclusion and more reach,” says Luis when asked about their vision for the future. “Part of my advocacy is to educate not just other artists but institutions and collectors so that the market grows at the same pace as the providers.”
For this dedicated artist and advocate, NFTs have been a way to challenge the traditional art world and offer a new path for artists. “When it comes to NFTart, I’m less of a collector and more of a creator and an enabler,” Luis says. “I’ve sold hundreds of my own NFT pieces since 2017, and beginning in 2021, I started focusing on helping other Filipino artists (particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds) find their footing in this new world.”
The journey in the NFT art world has been fulfilling for Luis and CPAG. Luis’ key milestones include CurioCards hitting over 39K ETH volume on OpenSea and the Cryptopop x Jose Delbo collaboration, which resulted in over $400K in sales on Nifty Gateway.