Artist Trading Cards is inclusive, says Joyce Burns, not exclusive.
The Mid-Island Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) meets at the McMillan Arts Centre (133 McMillan St., Parksville) on the third Saturday of the month from 1-3 p.m.
The swap is at the beginning followed by a demo.
Burns said Artist Trading Cards was started by a Swiss artist who created 1,200 trading cards for an exhibition.
“He showed all of his cards and then he invited everybody that had attended to make some cards of their own and come back and trade for the cards that they liked.”
Burns said the idea for Artist Trading Cards became so popular, that it has become international.
The ATCs started at the MAC last year, said Burns, but it fizzled out toward the end of 2016. Burns said she and Penny Gracey, another woman involved with the monthly event, wanted to bring the Artist Trading Cards back to the MAC.
“We are open to all mediums, anything that you want, anything that you like to do that’s creative. It can be three-dimensional, two-dimensional, any medium,” Burns said.
The only rule of the Artist Trading Cards is the cards must be 2.5-by-3.5 inches and fit into the card sleeves — the size of a baseball or hockey trading card.
People who are interested in collecting ATCs can buy or make card stock, trading card sleeves, and a binder to keep cards.
Burns said on the back of each card, people can sign their name, include contact information or a website and write whether it’s a limited edition or original.
The swap begins a 1 p.m., Burns said.
“They’ll say, ‘I like this one,’ and then I’ll go and look at one of theirs and I’ll say, ‘Well, I like that one,’” said Burns.
Then the trade begins.
“We’ll be trading and then we share — it’s about sharing — and so we also share techniques with one another,” said Burns, who is the artist-in-residence.
For more information on the ATCs, visit www.mcmillanartscentre.com.