LSU Alumni Spotlight Encore: Chris Cummings

LSU Alumnus Chris Cummings is Revolutionizing Digital Storytelling for Museums and Artists

LSU alumnus Chris Cummings (2010 BACH H&SS, 2013 JD) is transforming the way museums, artists, and cultural institutions connect with global audiences. As the founder of Pass It Down and Iconic Moments, he has pioneered innovative ways to preserve history, showcase digital art, and create immersive museum experiences.

Chris Cummings

From LSU Law School to Digital Storytelling

After graduating from law school and working as a clerk, Cummings realized he felt burnt out and wanted to pursue something else.

As he witnessed his mother battle dementia, Cummings decided to create a company to help families in similar situations. In 2015, he launched Pass It Down, a digital storytelling platform that allows people, brands, and institutions to collect, organize, and share their history and content worldwide.

Pass It Down became globally recognized as a pioneer in experimental media by companies such as Coca-Cola and the Consumer Technology Association.

With his company’s success, Cummings evolved his business to focus more on culture. He’s passionate about culture primarily because of where he grew up.

“You can’t live in South Louisiana without connecting to culture,” he says.

Cummings noticed museums and cultural institutions were struggling to connect with audiences in an increasingly digital world. Combined with his passion for culture, he was inspired to branch off from Pass It Down.

From Digital Storytelling to Cultural Innovation

In 2020, Cummings created Iconic Moments, a marketplace for digital artwork and NFTs, the first of its kind in the museum industry, and a 3D storytelling platform.

An NFT is a non-fungible token, a unique digital item that can’t be replaced, comparable to a one-of-a-kind work of art. Most NFTs are part of the Ethereum blockchain, a cryptocurrency or digital currency. Ethereum’s blockchain keeps track of who owns and trades NFTs.

Cummings sees the importance of “bringing awareness to the history of digital art.” He says digital art is today’s medium, noting that most people spend their day in front of a screen. Iconic worked with the Museum of Art + Light, the first museum in the world to dedicate a permanent wing to digital art, and their work was featured in Forbes magazine. The museum opened on Nov. 8, in Manhattan, Kansas. The museum and Iconic are working with some of the world’s leading digital artists. Their collaborations with Grant Yun sold out in 10 seconds and generated over $120,000 in sales.

Iconic aims to build culture and art models for museums and government agencies to help them expand their digital audience. Cummings’ work creates 3D and digital museum experiences that allow anyone to experience the museum without physically being there. This is cutting-edge in the museum industry, which historically relied on people visiting the museum; Iconic’s work helps to break down physical and geographic boundaries.

Preserving LSU Athletics History

Iconic has supplied new revenue streams by helping these organizations reach a global audience, which was necessary after COVID-19 left many museums struggling to survive.

Cummings is also working with the Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) to digitize and publish LSU Athletics’ records by analyzing millions of archives, identifying anything at risk of being lost, and prioritizing digitizing them.

“The LSU Athletic Department has an incredible athletic, and even campus history, that dates back well over one hundred years,” he says.

The archives he is working to digitize include trophies, plaques, and memorabilia from LSU. When discussing archives being lost due to time or damage, Cummings says, “That’s the worst thing that could happen.”

A Global Impact, a Vision for the Future, and a Passion for Culture

Considering the global impact of his work, Cummings has received many honors; most prominently, Iconic received the United Nations World Summit Innovation in Culture and Tourism Award in 2022. He says it’s a testament to the cutting-edge quality of their work.

Cummings recently announced Iconic’s collaboration with Art Basel, launching a limited-edition print and poster series at Art Basel Miami Beach 2024. Art Basel was founded by gallerists in 1970, and according to Cummings, it’s the most prestigious art fair organization. The collaboration was announced the same day Art Basel released its app, which makes visiting its locations easier.

Cummings explained that the series they launched featured the work of Tyler Hobbs, a top generative artist worldwide. Cummings said the campaign sold out in less than two hours, with purchases from over 27 countries worldwide.

Artwork by Tyler Hobbs

“This collaboration not only elevated Iconic’s global brand visibility but also highlighted our ability to merge high-end culture with innovative distribution models,” he says.

Cummings enjoys working with institutions and nonprofits mainly because he wants to help small but important institutions survive, and he feels that it gives them a “microphone.”

He says his time at LSU and living in South Louisiana impacted his career because it is one of the most cultural places in the country, and everything Iconic does has deep cultural roots.

Read the 2019 LSU Alumni Spotlight: Chris Cummings