Gannett launches non-fungible tokens in collaboration with American artist Peter Tunney

USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co. Inc., announced it will auction non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in collaboration with leading American contemporary artist Peter Tunney, who created signature collages, titled “GRATTITUDE” and “LIBERTY” using original pages from Gannett-owned newspapers. The highest bidder of the “LIBERTY” NFT will also receive the original painting created exclusively for Gannett by Peter Tunney. The auction will be hosted on OpenSea, the first and largest marketplace for NFTs. This is Gannett’s second NFT auction following its inaugural "First Newspaper Delivered to the Moon" collection which went to auction in June.

Peter Tunney is a legendary artist who has lit up the world with his colorful stories and unique lifestyle. Known for his innovative mixed media use, Tunney’s work evokes timely emotions of hope, gratitude and inspiration. His pieces can be seen from the streets of New York City where dozens of ubiquitous billboards have illuminated the skyline for over a decade to Miami’s Wynwood Walls. In 2010, Tunney opened the Peter Tunney Experience gallery, becoming the first tenant of the now famed colorful walls that pay homage to graffiti and street art. His work is appreciated widely throughout the world and owned by people from serious art collectors to well-known celebrities alike.

This collaboration between Gannett and Tunney celebrates the season of giving with proceeds equally benefiting The Sunny Center to help individuals who have suffered the injustice of wrongful conviction and the Gannett Foundation which supports community-building initiatives across the country.

The Gannett and Peter Tunney NFT collection includes the following:

• “GRATTITUDE” NFT: The attitude of gratitude, a Peter Tunney original 4’x6’ painting will be minted into 500 limited edition non-fungible tokens at $250 each. The accessible NFTs will have a unique identifier for sale until all limited-edition pieces are purchased. A rendering of the original artwork will also be distributed across the USA TODAY NETWORK as a special keepsake insert for readers as a holiday gift.
• “LIBERTY” NFT and Original Artwork: An animated non-fungible token of Peter Tunney’s original 5’x6’ LIBERTY painting created exclusively with Gannett content will have a starting minimum bid of $50,000 with the winner receiving both the unique NFT and the artwork.

“We are thrilled to be launching our second NFT collection in partnership with the incredibly talented Peter Tunney whose works inspire and uplift — just as Gannett seeks to do through storytelling and emerging technologies,” said Kris Barton, chief product officer, Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK. “We're committed to bringing innovative and diverse offerings to our valued readers and interested audiences.”

“It's exciting to see our newspapers come to life in such a unique way to support The Sunny Center and the Gannett Foundation through our use of technology to create greater awareness for our work and new ways to engage our audiences,” said Maribel Perez Wadsworth, president of USA TODAY NETWORK and publisher of USA TODAY. “Leveraging a nationwide network of more than 4,000 journalists to pursue illuminating, impactful, relevant journalism — including important topics such as criminal justice — is core to helping the communities we serve to thrive. As we celebrate this holiday season, giving our readers the opportunity to experience Peter’s work in a meaningful way is a small token of our sincere appreciation for their support.”

“I am both ecstatic and honored to be collaborating with Gannett on this special project to bring awareness to the pandemic of those suffering injustice and wrongful incarceration,” said Tunney. “The holiday season is an important time for us to reinforce gratitude and valuing the liberty that those who are innocent have been denied.”

“The Sunny Center Foundation’s mission is to help those impacted by the injustice of wrongful conviction by giving them a place to heal,” said Sunny Jacobs, founder, The Sunny Center. “We are honored to be one of the recipients of the proceeds from Peter Tunney’s powerful artwork being converted to an NFT. Using technology and the reach of the USA TODAY NETWORK to highlight the importance of criminal justice reform means so much to us and we are very grateful.”

The limited-edition “GRATTITUDE” minted NFTs will be available for sale today via OpenSea at usatoday.com/nft. The NFT auction for “LIBERTY” begins on Monday, Nov. 29, at 9 a.m. (ET) usatoday.com/nft through Wednesday, Dec., 1 at 8 p.m. (ET). Gannett will be offsetting the NFT carbon footprint with carbon credits. For more details and the terms and conditions of the auction visit usatoday.com/nft.