Ebtesam Ahmed

Mission complete for phase 1 of the @fndzionaversano initiative to support more artists in the space. Starting in the USA, then the rest of the world! When we first announced this project I was excited to see who saw the open call and would submit. We started collecting instantly because we wanted to make an impact fast, not just talk about it or promise something, but to take action now. As the submissions rolled in we were thrilled to see which states and what artists were from, born, live, work, and made art in or about. Quickly we started to see what the “State of America” looks like through the perspective of all these artists in 2026. I do want to acknowledge that we set a September 23rd deadline. And we are halfway there and already over budget by 17k! It was very difficult to keep to the 50k budget because there is so much talent here and artists we want to support. OG and new, emerging and established. We show them side by side to uplift each other and let the art speak, relate, and communicate! We thought we’d only support 50 artists for 50 states. We ended up supporting more than 130 artists! Including other US territories like DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Why did we spend so much and so fast? I noticed when minting most of these works had been listed for a few years, waiting and sitting there to be collected. The issue isn’t discovery or waiting for the right work. It’s taking charge in the moment, deploying support right now when artists and this community need the encouragement the most, to keep going. Why wait months when we can achieve more in a matter of weeks? The art is out there and it’s waiting for us to be seen and collected. I believe this art is the most significant work because all of it tells a story, and together it strengthens the narrative of the curation of what America looks like today through its artists. We were able to collect more than 1 artist per state for the 1k budget we gave ourselves, and sometimes couldn’t help but to go over it, especially in the larger states concentrated with people. We did our best to support as many artists we could this first time around to show how committed and serious we are about the artists who are here and have been here. What comes next? We will be announcing our Marfa initiative later this week. And we are carefully planning 2027 global gallery concept with 12 guest independent curators to help shape our mission and vision with us to cover our blind spots, especially in foreign countries outside of the USA. We hear you loud and clear and are doing our best to listen and understand where needs support most. We will do our best. I’m ready to face criticism because we can’t make everyone happy. But I sure as hell will give it my best shot to support you. A special thank you to all the artists who showed up for this initiative and the beautiful artwork that makes up America. Without the artists, we are nothing. Artists always lead the way!