‘More Clearly Define The Intelligibility And Authenticity Of Art Enterprises’: Guardian on .ART

The launch of the .art new gTLD has captivated some in the artistic world and has even made it to the culture pages of London’s Guardian newspaper.

The launch of the .art new gTLD has captivated some in the artistic world and has even made it to the culture pages of London’s Guardian newspaper.

“The intent is to bring back a more orderly structure to this incredible mess of the internet,” says Anton Vidokle, the entrepreneur behind the art company e-flux, who acted as an adviser to UKCI, a UK-based company that signed an agreement with ICANN to administer .art.

The article says Vidokle believes distributing the .art extension to artists or art-related businesses will help to more clearly define the intelligibility and authenticity of art enterprises – and perhaps contribute to the continuing viability of the art business.

“There are maybe 6,000 art institutions [working with e-flux] and perhaps half of them have no reference to visual art in their names,” Vidokle says. He estimates that there are at least 20,000 institutions worldwide. “If they cater to the public, they may want the public to identify them as an art space because people immediately understand your professional affiliation.”

He adds: “Being an artist implies a normative departure from bourgeois society. It’s a different kind of extension because it refers to a different lifestyle, so, unlike other domains, .art has the capacity to draw artists and institutions to itself.”

One organisation that has started to use .art is London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, who adopted a .Art domain name last week. The article notes it’s “a sign that the art and culture business may at last be starting to come to terms with its future in the digital realm.”

“The hip arts organisation ditched its fusty ica.org.uk web domain for the more streamlined and descriptive ica.art.”

The article in The Guardian is available online at:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/mar/12/art-internet-suffix-business

Culture Gets A New gTLD With .ART

A new gTLD for artists and art-related institutions is now live and has over 60 founders as it gets ready to launch its Sunrise period.

A new gTLD for artists and art-related institutions is now live and has over 60 founders as it gets ready to launch its Sunrise period.The company behind .art is UK Creative Ideas Ltd. (UKCI), an international team based in London and they won the domain at a private auction after it was one of ten applicants.So far founders include The Art Institute of Chicago, Centre Pompidou, Fondation Cartier, Hauser & Wirth, Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, LACMA, MAXXI, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Walker Art Center, and Tate according to artnet news.The report also notes that several early adopters have already launched websites, including AES+F, Canesso Gallery, Galerie Meyer, and FITZ & CO.”Our mission is to preserve the cultural legacy of the global art world,” Ulvi Kasimov, founder of .ART, says in a statement. “We are honoured that so many respected institutions from all over the world share our vision and conviction that .ART will transform the arts community’s relationship with the internet and help protect their brand’s heritage online.”The Sunrise period for art and cultural entities with trademarks registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse rund from 7 December 2016 to 7 February 2017.Following this, a Preferred Access Period for arts-related not-for-profits, museums, institutions, galleries, artists and established members of the art world will run from 8 February to 9 May 2017. And then General Availability for anyone with an interest in the arts can register from 10 May.