NFTs
Lakewood artist Arabella Proffer, who spent the last few years creating a digital legacy through NFTs, has died
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Lakewood-based artist Arabela Profferwhose work is now on display in an exhibition in Cleveland and which evolved from creating paintings to creating NFTs, or non-fungible tokens in recent years, died Tuesday at age 45 after a long battle with cancer.
Proffer was under hospice care after his condition worsened last week, said Mindy Tousely, executive director of the Western Reserve Artists’ Archive, where Proffer’s paintings and other works will be on display through June 29.
Tousely, who said he spoke for the artist’s family, said a gathering celebrating Proffer will be announced at a later date.
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1978, Proffer spent much of her career in the Los Angeles area after earning a bachelor of fine arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts. She moved to Cleveland in 2004 in search of affordable housing and studio space.
“Arabella moved in all circles and made friends with everyone from academics, executives, socialites, factory workers and, of course, all types of artists,” states one obituary posted at worthymemorial.com. “She was as comfortable in the cocktail lounge of a 5-star hotel as she was in the bars she frequented.”
The obituary said that Proffer “designed concert posters, made comics, video art and, later, photography. Sure, there were grants and residencies, but a bartender buying her a round in exchange for a sketch or art card was what really made her feel Picasso-level.”
In an interview with cleveland. with and The Plain Dealer last year, Proffer described his work as a mix of pop surrealist portraiture and abstraction.
His projects have included the 2011 book, “Kessa National Portrait Gallery: The Art of Arabella Proffer,” a collection of old-style portraits in punk and gothic-influenced fashions, and “The Restrooms of Cleveland” (2019).
Proffer’s work has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Plain Dealer, Hi-Fructose, and Pittsburgh City Paper. In 2020, examples of her work were accepted for permanent administration by the nonprofit Western Reserve Artists Archive, which preserves works of art from the region for study and display.
When Proffer was diagnosed with terminal sarcoma cancer three years ago, her doctors told her she had two months to live.
His unusual response was to focus on creating a distant future for his artwork by exploring the world of NFTs, which are unique digital assets that can be traded or exchanged for cash or cryptocurrency through blockchains, a form of ledger. high security digital that records transactions. .
NFTs can be bought and sold through a process that provides a digital certificate of authenticity, a secure and accurate history of ownership of a work of art – its provenance – and a way to provide royalties from sales of an artist or artist’s estate. an artist.
“This is a way for future generations to discover my art and collect my art, with royalties that can provide income for my family forever,” Proffer said at the time. NFTs can also be set up to direct a percentage of future sales to a charity.
“It seems like a great way to control my digital legacy after I’m gone,” she said.
Proffer said she became part of a growing online community that opened up lucrative and unexpected new opportunities for her and her work.
Learning and creating NFTs has become a welcome distraction from her illness, she said. She traveled, attended conferences and saw one of her NFTs displayed on a digital billboard in New York’s Times Square.
“If I gave up [making art] I think I would die,” she said. “I’m almost in denial, but not quite.”
Proffer said he has sold analog or “real” paintings for as much as $6,000. Your NFTs cost less. But she said, “If I sell an NFT for $100, I’ll be happy, and one day it might sell for $500. For me, it’s more [about] just having collectors in the future, having collectors in the digital sphere and being able to control my digital legacy.”
Proffer’s obituary states that donations can be made to the Artists Archive in his name. Her website arabellaproffer. withwill remain active.