In the Web3 art space, few people can wear as many hats as Roger Dickerman. Roger, a former trader and health entrepreneur, entered the NFT space in 2020 and quickly became a trusted voice for artists and collectors.
As a curator, founder of the NFT Origin Stories interview series, and creator of (24 Hours of Art), he not only leads the rise of digital art but also builds the infrastructure to support its future.
We interviewed Roger, talking about his journey into Web3, his 'artists first' creative philosophy, and how (24 Hours of Art) has evolved from a daily snapshot to a cornerstone of community, curation, and cultural recording.
In addition, he shared his insights on recent trends, the value of editorial narrative, and why 2026 might be his most ambitious year to date.
Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
OpenSea: Let's start, you entered the Web3 and digital art space, initially as a global trader, then dabbled in the health industry, and eventually got into NFTs. Can you tell us about this experience? What prompted you to enter the digital art space?
Roger Dickerman: It all started with a strong belief in cryptocurrency. I started believing in cryptocurrency in 2016 and got involved in 2018 and 2019. Then in 2020, the pandemic changed the world. The health business my wife and I ran in Philadelphia disappeared almost overnight. We had been considering moving on and maybe even selling it - but suddenly, it was gone.
I transitioned into corporate health management for a while. Around the same time, I discovered the acronym NFT. At first, it was just a trading tool. In mid-2020, I heard rumors of Nifty Gateway and started researching the digital art market. By the fall of that year, I was in. Initially, I approached it purely as an asset trader.
But a few weeks later, I found myself more attracted to the art than the assets. I was trading, but there were some works I couldn't bear to sell. I started to immerse myself in it - artists asked me questions, and I started to provide insights on pricing, supply, and collector behavior. This unexpectedly became a crash course in digital art.
In 2021, I decided to switch to the media field. When artists publish their work on platforms like Nifty Gateway, they usually receive a short background introduction - but I always wanted more. Where do they come from?
So I'll delve into their website, portfolio, past media, films, illustrations - anything I can find. I'll put them together in a Twitter thread. It seems no one else has done this kind of background check.
I launched a show called (NFT Origin Stories) with artist parrott and started doing one-on-one interviews with artists.
OpenSea: I remember (Origin Stories), in fact, that's where I first got to know you! Although you were initially a trader, most people see you as a collector and curator. Was there a specific moment or project that made you realize that digital art was your next career?
Roger Dickerman: This happened quickly after launching the interview series. I knew I wanted to be here, it felt obvious. The world is going digital, maybe not overnight, but this shift seemed inevitable.
For me, the turning point was the friendships I built with artists, which changed everything. Since then, I've always said I'm 'artists first.' It may sound cliché, but I truly believe artists are driving technology forward. They are pioneers in tech adoption, they make technology fun, they take risks, and they're great people to be around.
With this philosophy in mind, I founded Artifex, a collaboration with artist and art director DurkatWork (a digital sculptor) and a small production team. Artists like ThankYouX, Coldie, and Alotta Money would create unique works, and our job was to extract the central object from the canvas and turn it into a 3D digital sculpture.
We will auction off unique artworks and different versions of the sculptures, designed for mixed reality, the metaverse - anywhere you want to take them.
OpenSea: Exactly - the idea behind Artifex is a perfect example of the fusion of art and technology. Since you mentioned the origin stories of NFTs, have some of the previous conversations helped you understand the evolution of digital art and where it is headed?
Roger Dickerman: The earliest and most meaningful one was the fourth episode - with the late Alotta Money, who was the first crypto artist I really connected with. He became my friend, and to be honest, like my Sherpa, he helped me understand what had happened before.
I know your question is how things will develop, but for me, it has to start with the past. What shaped this space?
He tirelessly experimented - obsessed with crypto, culture, 3D avatars, artificial intelligence, and metaverse building. He was even a voxel architect, always hands-on. Watching someone like him allowed me to see the next door open. Honestly, what he was exploring at the time? I think they are still the direction of this field now.
OpenSea: You put it so well, sometimes looking back is the best way to understand where things are going. '24 Hours of Art' has become a daily touchstone for the community, can you tell us about its origins and development?
Roger Dickerman: In 2023, the field underwent a major test. From an 'art first' perspective, it was brutal. Valuations plummeted, and everything collapsed. I had to ask myself: If I ran an art production company, how could I stay in this field full-time?
This became an experimental phase, like when I first started doing artist content. I looked around and found that no one was reporting on art in a consistent, daily, and unbiased way. Everything felt hype-centric or biased.
I remember reading the first Mando Minutes - a summary of everything happening in the cryptocurrency space - and thinking, 'I want this, but for art.'
So the next day, I started building it. I had been tracking this space internally for several years. I published a small research report, which was much smaller than it is now, but the response was strong. People said, 'Finally, something is paving its own way for art.' This gave me the confidence to continue.
It grew quickly - five days a week, then six days. Eventually, I knew I had to make it sustainable, which became the next chapter.
OpenSea: Do you think the '24 Hours of Art' project has a clear goal? I see it as a historical archive of the digital art market.
Roger Dickerman: That's definitely part of it, it's the foundation - clearly and accurately recording what's happening. People sometimes ask, 'Why use sales figures?' While no metric is perfect, they are the least biased. They have nothing to do with my collection or my friends, it's about what's actually happening and what's driving the industry.
But our future direction is even more exciting. I want to create an annual report - similar to the Art Basel Contemporary Art Report - but focused on digital art. Those reports treat digital art as a niche area and specifically reserve a section for it, which is good. I believe what we are building here is more powerful than people think, and it will only continue to develop. This is good, but I believe we are building something more powerful than people think.
An annual report can help people understand the field - whether they are digital art collectors, cryptocurrency enthusiasts, or practitioners in the traditional art field. (24 Hours of Art) is a step in that direction, and the annual report will be a leap.
OpenSea: Although it's data-centric, is there room for editorial commentary?
Roger Dickerman: Of course, I focus on a few important events or moments every day, sometimes eye-catching, like a big deal, and sometimes more mundane stories that reflect the dynamics of culture or creativity.
I will try to be objective in the core report. In addition, I will also provide subscriber reports - it covers everything and includes a brief editorial note at the end. Sometimes I write briefly, sometimes I delve deeper. This is a space to explore meaning, momentum, or market signals in a more personalized way.
OpenSea: What is your daily process like? How long does each report take?
Roger Dickerman: It starts the day before. I roughly monitor social media, private chats, and some less conspicuous platforms. If I find something interesting - especially something that doesn't appear in the aggregator data - I put it in the draft box.
I get up at four or five in the morning every day to collect information from aggregators, markets, artist bots, and private channels - anything that can provide signals that others might overlook. I am tracking what has already happened and what is coming next.
All in all, on a normal day when I'm not traveling, it takes about four hours.
OpenSea: Changing the subject, can we talk about the on-chain token project we worked on with Transient Labs? There were 366 tokens, right?
Roger Dickerman: Yes, that's what's interesting - '24 Hours of Art' is now firmly established, and I'm going all out to make it a timeless brand.
At the end of 2023, I decided to turn it into a sustainable business, and so Transient Labs was born. We issued tokens for every day of 2024 - because it's a leap year, so a total of 366 tokens were issued. These tokens were sold at a price of 0.24 ETH each, marking the beginning of the '24 Hours of Art Collective'.
Buyers are randomly assigned a date - say, May 20, 2024. You need to pay attention throughout the year until your desired date arrives, and then see what the market is like that day. We want to create a sense of anticipation.
Each token comes with original artwork by Justin Wetch, who I've been working with since Artifex. He creates the daily cover image for each report - all 3D scenes built in Houdini, not AI-generated. I extract the key highlights, Justin is responsible for building the visuals, and the final result becomes the token's 'cover' and the visual archive of the day.
At the end of 2023, we also issued 24 honorary tokens, followed by the issuance of 366 tokens, which became the cornerstone of our collective. We have a private Telegram, and we launch the 'Art of the Week' program every week. We have also held some offline gatherings, such as brunches in New York. It is a close-knit, art-focused group.
In 2025, the question became: How can we maintain growth without losing the magic? I didn't want to double the size of the Collective - that would change the dynamics of the group. So, we launched a lower-tier subscription token: a dynamic, daily changing token that contains the cover image of the day and allows access to the full newsletter via email or token-gated website.
We have completed 217 updates so far this year. Each token is like a time capsule - on January 7, 2030, you will see what happened on January 7, 2025.
OpenSea: Cool, so what about the unique art designs? How are they made?
Roger Dickerman: We launched the 2025 patron program, with 24 patrons actively involved, playing a more active role. Many have a vision of writing an authoritative annual report for the field.
As a patron, each can choose one of 24 unique daily art designs from the entire year. For example, Sam Spratt has already chosen, and Jack Butcher is also a patron. Suppose he sees an art design he likes on September 12 - as long as no one else has claimed it, he can claim it. The design will be permanently bound to his token and become one of the 24 works in the main series.
OpenSea: So each patron only curates one artwork per year?
Roger Dickerman: That's right, so far we've selected eight brands - Kanbas, Justin Aversano, Krybharat, Sam Spratt, Ekaitza, Snowfro, Batsoupyum, Seedphrase, and Blondie. This team is really strong.
Fun fact: There was also one patron slot open, and I was talking to someone, but it wasn't finalized. Then one day, in a Telegram chat room, someone sent a message: 'Boiling water, the boss is here.' I opened the message, and XCOPY had actually taken the initiative to buy the last patron token. I had interviewed him before, but this still surprised me.
At that moment, I suddenly stopped and thought, 'Okay, I have to keep going.' He told me, 'I've always wanted to do this.' When someone like XCOPY joins, it's clear we're on the right track, we're creating something meaningful.
OpenSea: That's great, I didn't expect such a layered plan for 2025, have you started thinking about 2026?
Roger Dickerman: Yes, I try to build in public - it's arguably the only way to go in Web3. You have to be clear about who you are and then move forward.
We are in full swing internally. We know what our goals are and how to become the engine of growth for digital art.
Building new platforms, publishing annual reports, and creatively nurturing core communities to make '24 Hours of Art Day' even more exciting are all our priorities. After that, I am honored to be working with Justin Wetch, advisor Niftytime, Transient Labs, and partners like SuperRare and Gondi.
OpenSea: Before we end this interview, I want to ask a question about collectors. As a veteran in this field, are there any emerging trends or artists you are particularly interested in?
Roger Dickerman: In terms of trends, I'm always drawn to emerging artists - those who combine strong art with strong communication skills, usually both. Artists who are good at both creating and knowing how to interact with the community tend to stand out.
A few months ago, I started calling out the 'three Ms': Modest, mendezmendez, and MaNiC. They each perfectly combine art and communication, which sets them up for a new leap forward, and I think they've all done it now.
Now, that artist is Gavin Meeler, who reminds me of those three people from a few months ago. He created quietly for a while, a group of core collectors discovered him and started speaking up for him, and he is responding to it - not only continuing to create as always, but also leveraging the momentum. This positive feedback loop - artists are supported, artists work harder - is very powerful.
He recently released a small series called 'Lunatics' on Ninfa, a total of 69, which has now sold out, and these moments may become important turning points.
OpenSea: All the artists are amazing! Thank you so much Roger for taking the time, this has been wonderful.
Roger Dickerman: Thank you, Hannah.
Note: Token mentions are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial or investment advice.
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