For over 38 years, The CityKids Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has pioneered innovative, cutting-edge, diverse youth development programs. Founded by Laurie Meadoff, CityKids has inspired and empowered thousands of young people to turn their pain into purpose and become community leaders and motivated agents of social change through safe spaces, arts training, and multicultural bridge-building programs.
Why are we HERE?
TO CONTINUE KEITH HARING’S LEGACY OF SOCIAL IMPACT ART
This is a historic opportunity for collectors to own an NFT from the largest freestanding Keith Haring artwork while knowing that they are supporting The CityKids Foundation’s efforts to inspire the next generation of artists as they help youth tackle issues like mental health, economic inequality, racism, and more.
The original Keith Haring + CityKids “Speak on Liberty” artwork has been fully digitized and parceled into 385 unique NFTs, allowing for the detail contained within each from the contribution of 1000+ CityKids to be observed and appreciated.
NFT #1 from the collection is now available at auction with Sotheby’s, closing Wednesday December 21:
(view the auction)
NFT #2-385, will be released as interactive NFT puzzle pieces to complete the artwork, with holders of multiple adjacent pieces able to merge them together into a single NFT, “burning” the spent pieces:
Join us as we put the FUN back in NFTs and create opportunities for artivism (art + activism), all thanks to the work Keith Haring and 1000+ CityKids started back in 1986.
Join our community
Full Screen Mode
Our Journey
Inspiring Youth Since 1986
Created with the help of 1000+ youth artists, Keith Haring’s “Speak on Liberty” artwork has been hung around the world, including as the backdrop for Paul McCartney during his Superbowl pregame show.
Digitized in 2020
For the first time, viewers are easily able to see all of the messages from Keith Haring and the 1000+ young people thanks to the IMMUSE team’s effort to digitize the massive 90’x30′ CityKids “Speak on Liberty” artwork, resulting in a 6GB file.
NFT NYC + ART BASEL TOUR 2022
The original artwork was on display in the Marriot Marquis Times Square Hotel during NFT NYC, serving as an inspirational call to action for all attendees. During Miami Art Week, the CityKids team hosted collaborative art projects and spoke on panels at the Scope Art Fair and Blockchain For Social Good conference, with the original banner on display in Miami Beach on Lincoln Rd. through the end of January 2023.
NFTs Launch Dec. 2022
385 NFTs will be created from the digitized artwork thanks to our partnership with Deepak Chopra’s web3 social impact platform Seva.Love. Profits from the sale will help fund CityKids ongoing youth programing.
CityKids U.S. Tour 2023
The CityKids Foundation will host youth artivism programs at 10 major cities, using restorative practices to create dialogue about social justice issues, while collaborating on new large scale art projects.
CityKids Playbook Launch
Featuring best practices from our extensive experience in the field of youth activism, this playbook will train youth globally to become cultural and community leaders, while teaching them about blockchain technology like NFTs, cryptocurrency and web3.
Future Artist Collaborations
CityKids has a history of collaborating with other world-renowned artists, including Kenny Scharf and Shepard Fairey. We will continue to produce large-format artworks through youth education projects, with the content of each new piece workshopped by the young people and artist as we explore pressing social issues of the day. These art projects will also be turned into NFTs to help support other local non-profits and the communities they serve.
School of Artivism
Returning to CityKids’ original home in NYC, we will create a physical community center for restorative connection, activism, web3 education and art- A School of Artivism. This location will be a safe space for youth to connect and create, and will welcome other non-profit organizations to use the space- creating a hub for youth focused work.
HELP US PASS THE TORCH ❤️🔥
All profits from the NFT sales will support The CityKids Foundation’s efforts to provide young people with the skills and resources they need to become agents of social change.
OUR TEAM
Laurie Meadoff
CityKids | Founder and President
Deepak Chopra
Seva.Love | Co-founder
Rachel Wilkins
Renegade Marketing | Director
Keyonn Sheppard
CityKids | Co-Executive Director
Terry Hummel
CityKids | Chairman of the Board
Canedy Knowles
CityKids | Co-Executive Director
Chris Nunes
IMMUSE | Co-Founder
Poonacha Machaiah
Seva.Love | Co-founder & CEO
BC Biermann
IMMUSE | Co-Founder, Creative Director
Matai Blacklock
Seva.Love | Head of Web3
Siobhan Kavanagh
CityKids | Production Manager
Piya Chandramani
Seva.Love | Sr. Project Manager
Gabriella Wright
Seva.Love | Storyteller
Edwin Rogers
CityKids Alumni
Allen Bromberger
Bromberger Law | Legal Counsel
Don Hoffman
DKC News | Executive Vice President/Director
Scott Clark
IMMUSE | Partner, Head of Business Development
Dylan Sirgiovanni
CityKids | Project Manager
Project Partners
Sotheby’s is the world’s largest, most trusted and dynamic marketplace for art and luxury. We empower our international community of collectors and connoisseurs to discover, acquire, finance and consign fine art and rare objects. Our reputation for trust and authenticity is backed by our unparalleled global network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 44 departments.
Seva.love is a web3 launchpad focused on igniting global action by catalyzing change in collaboration with mission-oriented artists, philanthropists, brands, and change makers around the world.
IMMUSE was founded by HEAVY.io, an award-winning Augmented Reality studio. Since 2011, the HEAVY team has gained an international reputation of pioneering artistic mixed reality projects. Client work has included Warner Music, Niantic, Google, Tesla, Qualcomm, Deloitte, SXSW, JW Marriott, Fisher Brothers, Vexta, Nora en Pure, and many other cultural institutions and installations around the world.
FAQs
Why NFTs?
NFTs are the best way to create digital collectibles.
While the original Keith Haring “CityKids Speak on Liberty” was created on sailing cloth, withstanding the test of time from multiple outdoor displays 30+ years later, only one person can easily own the artwork, and not everyone has a 10-story space to display it in.
Thanks to the Immuse team, the massive artwork was digitized to allow for anyone to easily explore the full banner and read what Keith and the 1000+ contributing CItyKids wrote back in 1986 when the banner was created.
What will funds from the NFT sale be used for?
Proceeds from the sale of the NFT and royalties will benefit continuing The CityKids Foundation’s mission to help young people find and strengthen their individual and collective voices, while developing tools to positively impact their lives and become leaders and motivated agents of social change. Learn more here.
How many NFTs will the collection feature?
To put the FUN in NFTs, we have created an NFT puzzle collage of the digitized version of the 10-story `CityKids Speak on Liberty` original Keith Haring artwork, resulting in 385 NFTs unique 1-of-1 NFTs.
NFT #1 will feature the bottom portion of the artwork and be auctioned on December 15th in collaboration with Sotheby’s.
384 puzzle piece NFTs (#2-385) will be created from the top section of the banner and be available to mint later in December. 50 of those NFTs will be reserved and transferred to The CityKids Foundation wallet, resulting in 334 NFTs available to be minted by the public.
If someone collects 2 or more adjacent pieces, starting in early 2023 they will be able to merge them into one composite image to create larger sections of the “CityKids Speak on Liberty” artwork.
The lowest numbered NFT in the set will have its metadata updated to reflect the composite image, while the higher numbered NFTs which were merged will be removed from circulation by transferring them to an innacessible wallet (aka burned).
What blockchain will the NFTs be minted on?
All NFTs will be minted on the Ethereum blockchain as ERC-721 NFTs. Contract address: 0x4b9d097a27b85a1d351708bf0fdc0a16da4b5aa9
When does the project launch?
The auction for the bottom section of the artwork will begin on Dec. 15th and end Dec. 21st, 2023 in collaboration with Sothebys.
Minting of the remaining 384 puzzle pieces will begin later this winter with a blind reveal (you don’t know which piece you’ll get when you mint them).
All 385 NFTs will be a part of the same collection.
Join our Telegram group chat to ask any questions and stay up to date.
Where can I see the physical banner?
How can I place a bid on the Sotheby's auction for NFT #1?
Visit the Sotheby’s “Speak on Liberty” auction page to learn more: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/natively-digital-relics-ii/speak-on-liberty-1
When will NFT #2-385 be available to mint?
NFT #2-385 will be available to mint later this winter. Join our mailing list and jump in our Discord or Telegram chat to stay up to date on opportunities to join the allowlist to have a chance to mint one of the NFTs before public sale opens.