Wisconsin State Journal
2015-12-20
by Jane Burns
Robin Good believes that as people grow up and lose their playfulness, they can also lose a part of their creative selves. That’s why she wanted to launch an art project open to people who call themselves artists and people who don’t.
And with a playful theme such as a deck of cards, Good was hoping to draw anyone who wanted to be creative.
It worked. The Deck of Cards Art Project at Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse features designs by more than 80 people to create images for two decks of cards (that’s 108 cards, including jokers). The designs were then turned into usable, playable decks of cards that are for sale at the coffeehouse.
“People who don’t consider themselves artists can sometimes be afraid to make art, and I don’t like that,” said Good, a graphic designer for UW-Madison. “Certain people feel they need permission to do art. I want people to feel free to do art whether they consider themselves an artist or not.”
So more than a year ago, she put out a call on Facebook asking people to contribute to a project to create a deck of cards. It started local, then spread to other states. Some are artists, some are hobbyists, some are kids.
“It’s just a big mix of different people,” Good said.
Participants got to choose their cards, and the face cards quickly became in demand. There was plenty of creative wiggle room, however, for those who didn’t nab a king, queen or jack.
“I said, ‘You can make a picture of a face, even if it’s not a face card,’” Good said.
Participants used a variety of media. There are pressed plants and metal work, designs created digitally or by hand.
“Someone wanted to do a sculpture and I said, ‘We’ll take a picture of it,’” Good said.
Inspiration came in a variety of forms, too. An ace of clubs created by California chef and writer Peggy Ellis Brasser uses a photo of a club sandwich. An ace of diamonds created by Jo Ann Jensen of Milwaukee features Babe Ruth.
A jack of diamonds created by self-described “three non-artist family members,” Kelsey Anderson and Conni and Dan Guilfoil of Madison, were inspired by a Jack Russell terrier and sparked the idea of a Sunday family art day.
Some artists created large pieces with the proportions of a playing card, others worked with the card size. And it was the artists who wanted to put the art to use.
Good had originally planned for a finished deck of cards to be larger than a standard size to show off the art.
“The artists said, ‘No, we want to play with them,’” Good said.
Tuttle Lithography of Monona printed the cards, which are available for $10 a deck at Mother Fool’s.
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