Cards for The World: Baseball Card Artists Create for Causes

Art cards (left-right) by Matthew Burke, Charles LaBonge, and Jason Schwartz -- all of which support charitable causes.

Since I joined the card art community, I've been focused on developing my own craft, as well as on the business models, approaches to creating, and reasons for entering the hobby. This week, I've been speaking with three card artists who have used their art to support causes that are important to them. All of them take very different approaches to making cards as well. There are a couple of common threads that are interesting, though:

Firstly, all three of these card artists -- even if they didn't start crafting when Topps began Project 2020 with a stable of modern graphic and fine artists, took inspiration both from specific designers and artists, but also from the premise that one could make something new based on a well-established design and make it their own.

Secondly, one can't ignore the impact of the pandemic on our frustration with being shut in, our need to communicate and create with other people, and to bring something into a world that is encountering so much difficulty. There's something to be said for drawing on something from one's earlier life -- that shoebox full of baseball cards that may or may not be in the attic any more -- and saying "I want to use that to make something to share." That's what these three people have done, in very different and engaging ways:

Matthew Burke  creates wooden frames to complement cards ranging from 1980s vintage to the most recent seasons. "(I) got into collecting cards as a kid," he says, "and like most people got out of it as a teenager. (I) didn't think much about it until the pandemic and my parents gave me back all my thousands of cards."

Matthew saw the original Blake Jamieson Don Mattingly card which piqued his interest in creating card art. Having been a woodworker for more than two decades, he got into a conversation about the 1987 Topps set--which featured a simulated woodgrain -- and figured that he could make a real wood frame for a card. So he tinkered a bit and applied it to a 1987 card.

Matthew has raffled off a number of his cards in support of the Alzheimer's Association. You can find him on Twitter at @Alloystang. 

Matthew says his card art hero is Jason Schwartz, who goes by @HeavyJ28 on Twitter. Jason has been prolific in his fundraising, supporting organizations including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum, the Josh Gibson Foundation, and several others. (You can find all of these on his blog.) He creates layered cards using bright colors and different papers, and including elements from different sets in each card.

Jason is also the co-chair of SABR's Baseball Card Research Committee, and is both an advocate for the art of collecting and creating cards, and deeply knowledgeable about the game.

Charles LaBonge (@ClabeauxCards) is the son of Tom LaBonge, a beloved political figure in Los Angles who spent fourteen years on the City Council. Charles remembers his father as "not a politician, but a public servant... He always had a seamless way of connecting with people... As I progressed as an artist, as gratifying as it was to complete a piece, I found much more joy in seeing how it resonated with others. Similarly to the way in which my Dad would jump from event to event to let them know that their councilman acknowledges them and makes himself available to them."

Charles donates the proceeds of his work to the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, an organization that feels a deep connection to Tom LaBonge.

Writing as a collector, it's gratifying to see card art--a novel way of creating something new from something old--being used to support causes that strive to make life better for people, whether by teaching them about their history, improving their access to parks and recreation, or supporting people who have been marginalized. Card artists are far from unique in trying to do this, but it's still very inspiring to see.

If you are a card artist or collector, please comment below with any causes that you support (or would like to see supported). Also, please connect with me on Twitter at @akorengold (and follow this blog) to help build our community!