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Everything about how we share art is wrong. Spotify, Instagram, art galleries, movie theaters—the systems that facilitate how art is distributed and shared are beholden to the incentives of capitalism or tied up with the allure of prestige (which often is also motivated by capitalism). No matter how they start off, their model inevitably has to look at the art that runs through their platform as assets. This leads to a lot of downwind effects that not only impact the art itself, but also loops back around and decides what art gets spotlighted, what art gets funding, what art gets prioritized. Art galleries might focus on existing networks of power, giving the platform to artists that already have access and wealth. Social media and other online platforms rely on their never-ending feed of content, so art that gets hosted need to hope they can cater towards the fickle algorithm and the even more fickle virality formula or it'll be lost within hours. Certain art forms that don't translate well to a neat purchasable package don't even have the platform to share out to begin with.

The concept of Art Cards don't necessarily solve all these problems, and definitely not all at once, but rather they're proposed as an interesting system to at least untangle how all these platforms function and influence the art we make. It's practice for what it means for us to move our art away from the systems that don't serve us into the systems that do.

The initial idea was simple, have every artwork and art object represented as a card, it can be a photograph of a clay work, or an illustration made by an artist. Then, there would be a QR code or some sort of unique ID that would allow anyone with the card to scan it for a virtual version of the art, like a JPG of the photograph. The idea is to leverage the sentimentality of the physical, tangible object, while also leaning into the abundance that technology can offer. If someone with a card gives their friend a card, their friend can scan it and get a virtual version of the art too, even though there is only one physical card between the two of them. This allows different people to have different levels of relationship with the art and artist. Some people may hold on to the cards they like the most, basically having a pocketable art gallery, while others might share the card with as many people as possible, ensuring the art gets distributed like grass-root networks.

Even in these simple interactions, a new dynamic emerges. While platforms are busy creating impersonal playlists, and often slipping in sponsored material, Art Cards promote the idea of person-to-person recommendations, showing a friend a song they might like, or suggesting artwork to someone based on what comes up in conversation. This also creates a longer "tail" for the art, while so many posts about art get buried immediately, the Art Card can be shared to a new person at any time. You can show a friend an essay that you got from a year ago. (Yes, you can also share a link to an article you read a year ago, but the system does not encourage it in the same way a physical card might.)

From this idea, many iterations were born out of it. Art Cards could be given out at shows like memorabilia, they could come along with merchandise, they could be sold as an affordable way to support an artist.

Maybe if multiple Art Cards were scanned, it can create a new virtual artwork out of the combination? Or perhaps when and where the Art Card is scanned would change the virtual art. Since this system has one art split into two forms, it opened many possibilities for how an artwork can be represented or be enhanced.

While some art forms like photography or digital illustration might seem intuitive to turn into cards, there are also other works that might appear more challenging. How does a song look like on a card? Would an essay work? And again, the system encourages experimenting with the dimensions of a form. Maybe the song can be visually represented as sound waves, or maybe it's a gradient of colors to fit the mood (and also an opportunity for a musician to tap into their visual side or collaborate with a visual artist—the best platform encourages a proliferation of creating). The essay card might be a pull quote, with the full essay contained in the virtual version.

The cards are also a useful exercise for artists themselves to not only build relationships with their fans, but also to re-evaluate their own relationship to their art as well. Is it really a more sustainable model to put a song out and hope for 3000 listens, or to sell 20 Art Cards that either get added to someone's pocketable art gallery or gets slowly shared with personalized care to people that will take the time and effort to look up a song.

Since the system was developed a few years ago, it's gone through many iterations. The QR code has been swapped for a URL, the virtual art component has oscillated between being a closed-platform object or just a simple file download. Some elements have been executed in a different way, such as the cards that get distributed at Groove Salon, or the practice room cards. Meanwhile, the fuller system actually got absorbed into a larger project—moem (which we'll get to one day...)

But even if Art Cards never manifest in this form, the exercise of it stands as a useful way to think about alternative models for how art can be distributed. Can the platforms and systems that hold our art treat it with care and creativity? Can it encourage artists to express in even more creative ways? Can it encourage audiences to receive and consume art in more generative ways? And at the end of the day, Art Cards seem a lot more interesting to collect than the hype-based economy of Pokémon cards.