Perpetual Cards - 2023 11 30

 


Perpetual cards is an idea of card giving that changes the significance and meaning of giving the gift of a card. 

Perpetual cards applies the idea of 'paying it forward' in the gifting of a card. The cards themselves are original, framable works of art. The cards may be made from card-shaped art (original art sized to fit off-the-shelf card dimensions) or art-shaped cards (original art turned into custom sized cards). The card package includes the original card, five removable card liners for personal notes, five blank mailing lables for To: and Return: addresses, postage stamps to send the card to five separate destinations. The mailing envelope is a re-usable, new addresses and postage can be applied to send the card to a new destination.


The purchase of the card package provides for the card to be gifted 5 times from one recipient to another. The cards can be used to commemorate special events, they can also be used to acknowledge and highlight individual contributions to build strength in communities and families. Think of the work that is done by those whose contribution is taken for granted or assumed. Those whose work is not written into the history of humankind. Send a card to them.


'Paying it forward' refers to the one time purchase of the card package making it possible for the card to be given at least five times in a linnear sequence of card giving, celebration and gratitude.

The card itself, because it is original art, can also serve as a substantial gift, that can be framed and cherished to remember the moment and the significance of receiving the card. The gift of the original art is small enough to fit into any living space to add dimensions of colour, story, and imagination to our interior lives.

For the artist, making an original art card for sale is a manageable, relatively low cost investment into creating a lasting network of connections. It is much easier to make card-sized art or art-sized cards than it is to make a monumental work that requires significant real estate to house and display it.

On the back of the card is an email address. The sender and the receiver of the card are encouraged to write their stories about the circumstances of their personal card event. Their stories are published on the perpetual cards website to create a history of card giving and receiving, and the moments that can be shared to build strength in our wider community.

There is a big difference between making multiple card prints of a larger work of art compared to a one of a kind original art card. The replication original art into mass produced cards reduces the meaning and significance of the object of the card. As a mass produced object it is designed to be appreciated and then, eventually, discarded. The original art card is an object of deep significance and meaning in and of itself. It is not a replication. It is an original creation with unique materials, methods and imagery conveyed through the art. 

That is why I am thinking of these as perpetual cards. They would never be discarded, they may be framed and cherished, or they may be 'paid forward' to another recipient to carry the intention of building relationships and strength in communities one card at a time.

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