Originally published in 2017. Updated July 2025 for archival purposes.
What happens to a piece of art once it leaves the studio? For years, the answer was often lost in the mystery of the art world’s secondary market — especially for the artist.
That’s where ArtMoi came in.
Founded by Ryan Mayberry, ArtMoi set out to give artists the power to track and authenticate their work long after it left their hands. Drawing comparisons to the ISBN system in publishing, the platform assigned a unique ID to every uploaded artwork, creating a public cloud-based record of its creation, history, and ownership.
Empowering Artists with Digital Tools
“Artists today have no way to stay connected with the works they create once a piece leaves their studio,” said Mayberry at the time. “They get left out of resales, appraisals, restorations, and authentications.”
ArtMoi’s Studio tool was free to use on any web-enabled device, with paid upgrades offering websites and professional portfolios — all aimed at empowering artists to retain control and visibility over their work.
How North Forge Helped
ArtMoi’s journey with North Forge began through one of its predecessor programs, the Eureka Project.
“When we first connected with The Eureka Project, they arranged a market study with the University of Manitoba that helped us validate the need for ArtMoi in the marketplace,” said Mayberry. “They also gave us insight into funding channels we never would have found otherwise, and hands-on support with the application process helped us land the funding we needed to get the ball rolling.”
ArtMoi went on to launch an improved version of their software, grow to nearly 6,000 active users, and present at prestigious venues such as The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto.
A Legacy of Artist-Led Innovation
While ArtMoi is no longer active, its mission still resonates. It was an ambitious attempt to reshape how artists engage with a system that often overlooks them.
This retrospective serves as a reminder of the value of experimentation, the importance of artist empowerment, and the role North Forge plays in supporting visionary ideas from inception to impact.
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