About New Art City

Vision

We believe that digital art deserves spaces designed specifically for its unique qualities. Traditional physical galleries have inherent limitations when it comes to displaying born-digital works, while conventional websites often fail to capture the communal experience of art appreciation. We bridge this gap with virtual environments where digital art is displayed in its native context and where people can gather to experience it together.

Every exhibition on our platform is a 3D multiplayer environment designed and built by individual organizers using our toolkit. These spaces are accessible via web browser on any computer or mobile device—no downloads, registrations, or personal information required. This accessibility is core to our mission of democratizing access to art experiences.

Mission

New Art City's mission is to develop an accessible toolkit for building virtual installations that showcase born-digital artifacts alongside digitized works of traditional media. We strive to create spaces where digital art can be experienced authentically and communally, breaking down the barriers that have historically limited who can create, exhibit, and experience art.

Our curation and product design prioritize those who are disadvantaged by structural injustice. We believe that an inclusive and redistributive community is as important to our project as the toolkit itself, and we work actively to ensure that our platform serves artists and audiences from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Values

• Built for Art and Access: Every aspect of New Art City is purpose-built to support artists and art institutions in collaboration, exhibition, and preservation. We design with artists' needs at the forefront, ensuring our exhibitions don't require software updates or expensive hardware to create or experience.
• Accessibility is Intersectional: We recognize that physical art experiences have historically advantaged those with financial and physical privilege. New Art City extends the geographic reach of exhibitions while providing a mobile-friendly experience alongside a VPAT-certified, screen reader accessible catalog for users who may not be able to experience the 3D exhibition.
• Humans > Algorithms: Our user experience prioritizes surprise and delight over optimization and metrics. We bring the unpredictable moments of human interaction into virtual space and empower people to do the most human thing we know: make art and experience it together. In a digital landscape increasingly dominated by algorithmic curation, we champion human connection and creativity.
• Ethics & Integrity: Unlike platforms that "move fast and break things," we take our time and listen. Building a sustainable community requires patience and care. We don't sell ads or user data, and we prioritize user empowerment over rapid growth or profit maximization.
• Technology is Privilege: We empower artists of all backgrounds and disciplines to create unique and expressive virtual worlds without requiring coding knowledge. Our platform provides a broadly accessible and archivable format for artists to show their work on a global stage alongside established creators, helping to democratize access to digital art tools.
• Supportive & Inclusive Community: We are a redistributive artist community, committed to transferring knowledge, space, money, and visibility from those who have it to those who don't. Our partners in education, traditional galleries, museums, and institutions must share our values and contribute to the community in meaningful ways.

The Virtual Art Experience

When you enter a New Art City exhibition, you're stepping into a carefully crafted environment where you can move freely, encounter other visitors, and engage with digital works in their intended context. Participants can attend virtual openings together, chat with artists and fellow visitors, and see each other moving through the space, creating a social dimension that's often missing from digital art experiences.

Our platform supports a wide range of digital art forms, from virtual assemblages to video installations, 3D models, images, audio files, and digitized traditional works. Artists and curators have powerful yet intuitive tools at their disposal to arrange these works in virtual space, creating immersive environments that bring the art to life.

Our Team

• Don Hanson – Design & Development lead. Electronic musician and Internet artist building experimental websites, tools, and electronic artifacts connected to the world wide web.
• Benny Lichtner – Development & Technical lead.
• Sammie Veeler – Curator & Community lead. Nurturing connections within our growing network of artists and institutions.

Join Our Community

Whether you're an artist looking to exhibit your work, a curator planning a virtual show, or an art enthusiast eager to explore new digital realms, New Art City welcomes you. Our growing community includes creators and viewers from around the world, all united by a shared appreciation for digital art and the possibilities of virtual space.

Experience art in a new dimension—where digital works find their true home and where meaningful connections happen across physical boundaries. Welcome to New Art City.