I started the playing card mail art collaboration project in June of 2010. The resulting small works of art will be exhibited at 12x16 gallery in Portland, Oregon, in May of 2012. After two years, the project will feature 150-200 participating artists and up to 1,000 playing cards.

         I chose playing cards because they are a perfect small, sturdy surface upon which to create collage, drawing, painting, mixed media and even assemblage. They mail easily and inexpensively. I began to contact potential collaborators via social media such as DeviantArt and Facebook.

         Cards start with my alterations in collage or mixed media. The cards are then sent to collaborators, who add their own creative touches in any medium. There is no theme and artists have carte blanche to add to or subtract from the card.  The focus is to make it feel like a balanced, completed work. Cards usually have two collaborators, myself and another artist, but some cards may have up to five contributing artists.

         The challenge of a collaboration like this is in letting go: no single contributor can determine the end result of the playing card. In a sense, the card evolves and has a life of its own. This has been easier for some artists than others, but most of them say that this is a very fun collaboration project and they learn a lot about their own comfort level around the idea of a shared project.

         Please browse the cards already created on my website. Both the APCs by Liz Cohn and the Collaboration APCs will be part of the exhibition in 2012 at 12x16 gallery.

LizCohnArtStudio

Feel free to pass on information about this project. Artists are welcome to contact me about participating.

**Posted on my DeviantArt main page August 9, 2011

The playing card collaboration so far.....

 131 ARTISTS * 751 playing cards 

Artists from all over the world - United States, Ireland, Japan, Greece, France, Turkey, Germany, Canada, Italy, Serbia, South Africa, Philippines, Australia, England, Romania, Lithuania, Indonesia, Spain, Portugal, Mexico

-What is it? 

A two year mail art collaboration. I began this collaboration in March 2010 and it will end with an exhibition of all the cards created in May of 2012.

-How do you participate or ask more questions?

Send me your mailing address to lizole@comcast.net. I mail to you 2 or 3 regular playing cards, like the ones in my gallery 'APC collaborations' folder. I've altered the cards, you add some art to it too using any medium, then mail it back to me or to another participant in the project if I ask you to do so.

-What is the goal?

Exhibit them! 
The exhibition will be March or May of 2012 in Portland, Oregon at 12x16 GalleryPlaying Card Collaboration.

-How do you benefit?

        You can add this show to your resume and if

        a card you helped create sells, you will get a

        percentage of that sale.

Liz Cohn