New NFT Otis & Woods Art Collection to Launch with Collaborative & Charitable Elements

Jon Luvelli to Partner with Canine Collectibles to Support Animal Welfare

News provided by

Apr 07, 2021, 08:38 ET

NEW YORK, April 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The burgeoning landscape of non-fungible token (NFT) art will further expand with the April 8 at 9 p.m. debut on crypto marketplace OpenSea of the Otis & Woods NFT Art Collection, www.otisandwoods.com, which will take a novel approach to its releases by incorporating collaborative, charitable and gamifying components. Created by classically trained artists Matthew Weitzman and David Fugit, principals of the New York City and Tampa FL-based Swarm Digital Marketing, the new collection of pixel art will honor their beloved dogs, Otis, a Frenchie, and Woods, a Rhodesian Ridgeback and Black Mouth Cur mix. Each release of 20 canine crypto art collectibles will present a link to the auction of an exclusive work by a high-profile artist; the only way to obtain this link is via the unlockable contained within each Otis & Woods NFT. The first partner artist for the year-long project, which will see 26 releases for a total of 520 pieces (one release very two weeks) will be acclaimed street photographer Jon Luvelli.

Prices will start at .05 Ethereum, with increases expected for every release. At least 25 percent of the proceeds from all sales, including the auctions, will be donated to a rotating roster of causes important to Weitzman, Fugit, and their collaborators. To lend a fun competitive factor, one Otis & Woods purchaser for each release will be randomly selected to receive the gift of a second unique character via airdrop.

Since the first Otis & Woods NFT Art Collection release collaborator will be Luvelli, who shares Weitzman's and Fugit's love of animals, sales will benefit New York Bully Crew, a nonprofit that specializes in rescuing Pit Bulls, but never turns away any animal in dire need. During two decades of animal rescue efforts on behalf of some 20 species, Luvelli has helped home more than 250 Pit Bulls. Luvelli--celebrated for his compelling, starkly candid and thought-provoking black-an-white images--has provided a captivating one-and-only photograph of his rescue Tiger, Honey, for the collection's initial auction.

For Weitzman, who has been involved in the blockchain and crypto space for five years, the charitable component of the Otis & Woods project represents a means of bringing additional legitimacy to the NFT community and "…making the NFT space even more accessible to artists, collectors, and blockchain skeptics. It's also giving artists a platform for giving back to their communities and another avenue through which to build their followings."

Fugit noted, "The arts are such an important part of our culture and who we are. I want artists to be able to make money and to make a living doing what they love. As an artist myself, I certainly hope the NFT space is a step in that direction."

OpenSea representative Hamish Barnes observed, "We're continuously looking for unique partnerships like that of Otis & Woods / Swarm Digital Marketing, as they help continue to validate the NFT marketplace as new artists and collectors enter the space."

Several Otis & Woods collaborators succeeding Luvelli include:

Conceptual photographer, Karen Jerzyk https://www.instagram.com/
Musician and curator, ARTZ https://www.instagram.com/artzisartsy/
Street photographer, Mike Szpot a.k.a illKoncept, https://www.illkoncept.com/thestreets
Large scale oil painter, Alexandra Grounds https://www.instagram.com/alexandragrounds
Abstract mixed media artist, Gunnar Magnus https://www.gunnarmagnus.com

New Otis & Woods NFT Art Collection releases of 20 one-of-a-kind pieces will drop on www.opensea.io/collection/otis-woods every two weeks after the April 8 launch. For more information about the Otis & Woods NFTs, the artist collaborators and the causes the collection will support, visit www.otisandwoods.com.