Blossoming community
Artists' trading cards put collectible creations
in the palm of your hand
Greig Gaspar googled "artists' trading cards" online in 2002
and received about 70 hits. When he does that today,
he gets more than 2 million.
The idea of creating miniature works of art in the size and
form of trading cards originated with Swiss artist
M. Vanci Stirnemann in 1996, and the trend has been growing ever since.
Locally, artists attend trading sessions at the Louis Pohl Gallery on
the second Saturday of each month.
The cards measure 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches and can be
made in any medium, from watercolor to ceramic.
They are traded much the way people trade sports cards.
Sandra Aoyagi-Watanabe began trading cards via e-mail
with artists as far away as New Zealand, Australia and Japan.
She introduced Gaspar to the concept, and together
they spread the word to artists and fashion designers like
Eric Eugene Kamakahia'ai Chandler and Takeo.
Soon the Oihana Project was launched,
using the Louis Pohl Gallery as a trading venue.
"It's all about sharing with everyone. Anything goes,
everything can work.
It's all about having fun and making a statement,"
Aoyagi-Watanabe said.
The cards help artists and designers get their names
out in the art community and to educate others about art.
"People are starting to talk about art in a fun way,"
said gallery owner Sandy Pohl. "
This puts everyone on a level playing field."
Some cards sport hula girls; others are miniature watercolors.
Chandler created his out of playing cards.
"The cards are embedded with secret messages,
like 'The Da Vinci Code,'" he said.
Takeo used pastels. "We are really doing this
for the next generation of artists," he said.
"It opens doors for the artist, young or old."
Gaspar and Aoyagi-Watanabe both work
with mixed-media collage.
Gaspar hopes to collect enough cards to frame
the different pieces together.
Everyone is invited to trade, whether
they work in the fine arts or crafts.
"Art is an open-door invitation.
We need a new terminology that encompasses it all,"
Chandler said.
Community outreach is their next step.
"We are sending fliers to local high school and colleges
to get younger artists involved in the program," Gaspar said.
They see card trading incorporated in
after-school programs or exchanges with schools in other countries.
Gaspar would like to entice taggers and graffiti
artists to become involved: "
It may be encouraging for them to look at
another way of expressing themselves."
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