[NEW YORK, NY] The luckiest NFTs are being launched soon. Non-profit organization Welcomes to Chinatown (WtC) is launching its first NFT collection on Solana’s Metaplex to support their Longevity Fund, a grant program, and accelerator for at-risk small businesses. The inaugural collection features 6 AAPI artists and their interpretations of a “Tray of Togetherness” (a platter of treats often enjoyed and gifted during Lunar New Year) split into 8-9 NFTs. Select NFTs will feature surprise gifts ranging from products to unique experiences from partners Lydia Pang, MARKET, The Brooklyn Nets, Chunks, Jing Fong, Alumni of New York, Cölle, 12 Pell, 886, Delicacies Jewelry, Wontoninamillion and Asian Not Asian Podcast.
WtC’s Lunar New Year NFT Fundraiser will run from February 2. By launching an NFT campaign, WtC is taking its first step in a long-term vision to introduce financial tools, give brand ownership to entrepreneurs, and innovate in a way that blends the physical and digital world. Winners of our auction and holders of participation tokens will gain access to upcoming events and have the opportunity to shape initiatives, changing how nonprofits engage with a new type of donor.
“It’s mind blowing we’re here...launching an NFT collection. During the early days of WtC, I could barely convince cash-only businesses to digitalize as New York City was days away from lock down,” says Vic Lee, WtC Co-Founder. “Business owners were skeptical– two naive residents speaking in broken Cantonese, advising them to use an e-gift card platform. With each conversation, we learned why these businesses didn’t want to digitalize. This Lunar New Year collection was built from all these learnings. It is the beginning of our roadmap to create a digital community that celebrates the sights, sounds, experiences, and memories evoked by Chinatown.”
“We're thrilled to support Welcome to Chinatown as they introduce their community to Web3 and NFTs" said Stephen Hess, Director of the Metaplex Foundation, “NFTs are for everyone and projects like theirs are an inspiring way to educate communities by bridging the gap between the physical and digital, offering an exciting peek into what's to come.”
WtC has blended values of storytelling, innovation, and bridging cultural + generational gaps to raise over $2 million for Chinatown in 2021 alongside advocacy efforts for Stop Anti Asian Hate and policy reform when Chinatown was neglected from government relief. As an organization founded after seeing the detrimental impacts of xenophobia and racism following Lunar New Year 2020, Welcome to Chinatown felt strongly about launching a campaign that would celebrate the uniqueness of individual contributions and symbolize the strength of community when we all come together.
Participating Artists
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Participation Token NFT, Haruko Hayakawa
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The Snack Console, Cori Huang
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The Sum of Us, Spaced Agency
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The Bun Round, Eden Lew
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Unwrapping Memories, Gabrielle Widjaja
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Together Apart Together: A Tray of the Asian Diaspora, Emily B Yang
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Lunar Everyday an Object, Wendy W Fok
