Art educators' opinions on crypto art (NFT)

With the influence of technological developments, important innovations have emerged in the field of art, as in many other fields. While art in the traditional sense offers the opportunity to reach a limited number of audiences in physical spaces such as galleries, both the production and circulation areas of art have expanded thanks to the development of digital technologies. This transformation has made works of art accessible to large audiences from different geographies of the world. One of the approaches that has rapidly gained popularity in recent years and moved art from physical environments to virtual platforms is the NFT (Non-Fungible Token)-based approach to art. NFTs are defined as "unique and immutable digital assets" and have become an important component of digital art. The more intensive use of computer technology in daily life has enabled art to transcend its traditional boundaries and gain a broader and more dynamic structure in digital environments. In this context, NFTs have gained an important place not only in the field of art but also in gaming and other digital sectors; It has offered artists new opportunities in terms of production, distribution and commercialization. Research shows that concepts such as blockchain technology, Ethereum, metaverse (virtual universe), which form the basis of NFTs, are being defined and digital art has gained a new structure around these concepts. Digital art has merged with crypto art and transformed into a new form of art market through NFTs. Art education plays a critical role in this transformation process. Art education is an important tool for transferring new digital art structures to younger generations, evaluating art in the context of its relationship with digital culture, and redefining creative processes. In this regard, within the scope of this study, the opinions of educators working in the field of art education about crypto art (NFT) were examined and the educational dimensions of this new digital art understanding were tried to be revealed. Keywords: Crypto Art, NFT, Digital Art, Education