On Monday (July 19), the Jerry Garcia Family announced a forthcoming NFT collection, titled An Odd Little Place: The Digital Works of Jerry Garcia (1992-1995), in partnership with Yellowheart, a leading NFT marketplace. The collection, of which the first part launches today, features 20 digital pieces comprised of limited edition artwork and three additional pieces discovered in an archived folder labeled “Last 48 Hours.”
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The uncovered artworks are: Jiom (dated August 7th, 1995); oop (dated August 8th, 1995), reportedly Garcia’s last known completed piece, per the press release; and ni kil After 9 Hours.
“My dad was a huge fan of computers and gadgetry, something like blockchain would have really intrigued him. As an artist, Jerry would value the freedom potential for artists. We are delighted to share these immersive landscapes and playful images,” shares Tricie Garcia in a press statement. “These early digital art making tools enabled a visionary like my father to share the scenes from his mind. He was telling stories in a new medium and it’s beautiful. Because of computers and digital technology, musicians, writers and visual artists are able to take their work to the next level and share on a global platform. We want to pay respect to art and technology.”
“Jerry is a pioneer of so many artistic and musical forms it makes perfect sense that he was also a pioneer of digital art years before NFTs,” shares Josh Katz, CEO and founder of YellowHeart. “As a lifelong Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia fan—and a guitar player myself—it’s always been a dream for me to be able to work with the Garcia family, and it has been an absolute pleasure collaborating with Trixie and Marc Allan on this collection. I am so excited to show the world these incredible digital works in the manner they were meant to be displayed and provide Garcia fans a truly unique and exclusive way to enjoy them that also pays homage to Garcia’s love for digital technology.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will host a preview event next month, August 5, to showcase the collection. The second part will be unveiled August 1, with the third part serving as an online auction for the remaining pieces, running August 5 at 3pm EST until August 7.
A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit The Wilderness Society, and donations to go to Rex Foundation, First In Last Out Festival, and For Humanity and Sweet Relief.
Photo by Herb Greene
