Artist Trading Cards

What is an Artist Trading Card? Artist Trading Cards (or ATCs) are miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards or 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches, small enough to fit inside standard card-collector pockets, sleeves or sheets.

The History of the ATC…. Artist Trading Cards have been around for less than a decade. Yet, their historical roots can be traced back to the Mail Art and Fluxus movements of the 1960s, and even earlier to the Dadaist movement of the 1920s. Swiss artist M. Vänci Stirnemann first developed the concept of Artist Trading Cards in 1996, when he decided to document his activities with other artists by producing a catalogue of 1,200 cards he created by hand. He exhibited the cards at his bookstore gallery in Zürich in May On the last day of the exhibit, Stirnemann invited anyone who wanted a card to create their own ATC to trade during the closing reception.

LIFE, Adventures, Dreams & Nightmares Of A Samurai Cat by M. Vänçi Stirnemann

How Artist Trading Card are made. Cards are produced in various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc.), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc.), paper media (in the form of collage, paper cuts, found objects, etc.) or even metals or cloth.

Continued An ATC is meant to be an original piece of ART not a photocopy or print The Artist is to create a piece of art in a chosen style or theme on the front of the Artist Trading Card The cards are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold.

Samples of Artist Trading Cards

Themes: Exploring Nature

Asking Questions and Making Statements about Ourselves

Addressing Social Issues

Looking at Beauty

Series of ATC

Continued…

Personalizing Your ATC

Assignment Due: 10/21/11 Students are to create 9 Artist Trading Cards the size of modern baseball cards or 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches using white construction paper. Students trading cards must have a theme that is present within the design of all of their cards. Students are able to use various media, including dry media (pencils, pens, markers, etc.), wet media (watercolor, acrylic paints, etc.), paper media (in the form of collage, paper cuts, found objects, etc.) or even metals or cloth. Paper, dry and wet media and some paper media will be provided, if students wish to use any other type of media they will need to provide that yourselves. Students must layer the media that they are using like in the form of a collage. Students are to mount their ATC onto construction paper for display. The ATC are to be evenly spaced out onto the paper.

ATC THEMES Altered Faces An Art Element or Principle Heroes & Heroines Historical events Community (Where I live), Family Pictures, Ancestors Identity, Something Personal Journeys Mythological creatures Quotes, Songs and poem excerpts Seasons Special places Animals