Twelve-year-old Nyla Hayes, creator of the Long Neckie Collection — a non-fungible token (NFT) collection worth about $3.4 million in digital currency — and founder of NFT Children’s Day, is breaking new ground for the youth in tech.
The young NFT digital artist will now serve as the first-ever Artist-in-Residence for TIMEPieces — TIME’s web3 community initiative, according to a press release provided to AfroTech.
⭐️🚨JUST ANNOUNCED: Nyla Hayes is TIMEPieces FIRST Artist-in-Residence🚨⭐️
Learn more: https://t.co/qVXd51yvqb
— TIMEPieces ⏰ 🔜 NFT NYC (@timepieces) October 21, 2021
“Since launching Long Neckie Ladies, Nyla has inspired many individuals within the NFT community and established herself as a leader amongst the next generation of emerging artists,” Keith A. Grossman, President, TIME said in a We are thrilled to announce her as our first Artist-in-Residence for TIMEPieces and are excited to see how she applies her talent to our brand.”
An Artist-in-Residence will be selected by TIMEPieces on a quarterly basis to provide artists with the tools and resources necessary for their careers to thrive through NFTs.
Through the community initiative, artists will “develop an intimate, focused collection of art in addition to the larger initiatives featured in the Build a Better Future Genesis Collection,” according to TIME. The Artist-in-Residence collections will further expand on TIME’s contribution to the intersection of art and NFTs while highlighting unique artists like Hayes.
Following the release of their collections, artists will be offered the opportunity for their work to be featured for TIMEPieces community of collectors, as well as be able to maintain connections with fellow NFT and traditional artists and reach new audiences through TIME’s global readership.
The theme for Haye’s collection will be announced on Nov. 11, and its release will follow on Nov. 16 for holders of TIMEPieces and TIMECats.
Hayes’ Long Neckie Collection is a collection of digital artwork that features diverse women with elongated necks inspired by her favorite dinosaur, the Brontosaurus.
“I started drawing at 4. When I was 9, my parents got me a smartphone to make digital art,” Hayes told TIME for Kids. “I made drawings of people with long necks, which I call Long Neckies. This past March, my uncle told my mom about NFTs. We watched YouTube to learn how to create and sell them. Soon, people were buying NFTs of my Long Neckies. I have made more than 960 ETH. (That’s digital currency worth about $3.4 million.) Being part of the NFT community is amazing!”