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We create original comics and content with after-school programs, offering a platform for your collaborative participation.

The Back of the Yards comic book series, a Made Collaborative production, is a project that was born in collaboration with participating urban youth in the West Side of Chicago. It is a Creative Commons project (meaning everyone can access and share it here digitally for free, as well use the characters for their own projects) and with this virtual creative studio platform, we will continue those collaborations with interested parties here virtually.

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Our virtual Studio Cards are designed to facilitate collaboration with you by providing you context on topics, concepts, characters and the people behind our comic project, along with related opportunities for you to provide your own collaborative input to us (i.e., your “Studio Notes”) which we will use as a basis for our weekly virtual Zoom workshop sessions.   And it all starts with a click on the back of any card!

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Who is…
Andre Davis?

02 | Issue #3 Collaborations

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Summary
For Issue #3, we're opening the next stage of Andre Davis' - our comic's first created character during those early classroom collaborations - journey through collaboration. As Andre's abilities begin to emerge, we're inviting you to help us explore what he can do, how those changes affect him, and what becoming something extraordinary might ultimately mean for him.
Core Personality Traits & Values
Andre is bright, inquisitive and self-reliant, always searching for the truth and a greater understanding of himself and others … but he may also be susceptible to the trappings of his newfound power …
Archetype
The Hero
Motto
“To dare is to do.”
Collaboration Background
Andre’s character was initially developed during the original Made Collaborative in-person classroom collaborations with youth in the fall and winter of 2013, as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago.
Debut
Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series
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Who is…
Tamia Parker?

03 | Issue #3 Collaborations

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Summary
For Issue #3, we're opening the next stage in the journey of Tamia Parker - another character born from our earliest youth collaborations - to collaboration. As Tamia's dreams begin to blur with reality and she senses that something within her is changing, we're inviting you to help us explore what her transformation might become—and what it could ultimately mean for her.
Core Personality Traits & Values
Tamia is extremely bright, curious, introspective and creative. She is an artist at heart, with empathy that forms connections with others in ways that she even doesn’t fully understand yet…
Archetype
The Creator
Motto
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” - Leonard Cohen
Collaboration Background
Tamia’s character was initially developed during the original Made Collaborative in-person classroom collaborations with youth in the fall and winter of 2013, as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago.
Debut
Issue #1 of the Back of the Yards comic series
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Introducing a New Hero’s Journey
Back of the Yards!

01 | Issue #3 Collaborations

QR Code for 01 | Issue #3 Collaborations
Summary
Welcome to the Issue #3 Collaborations! This anchor Studio Card introduces Back of the Yards, a Creative Commons comic series developed by the Made Collaborative Studio. Set on Chicago's West Side, the story follows a young man whose seemingly supernatural encounter leads him on a journey to discover what is real, what lies beneath the surface of his neighborhood, and how the lives of those around him are connected. With this Studio Card, we invite you to explore the world of Back of the Yards and help shape Issue #3 through a series of creative collaborations.
When
Our story moves between past and present, exploring how events, relationships and decisions from earlier generations continue to shape the lives of characters today. As we develop Issue #3, we'll uncover more of the neighborhood's history and the mysteries connecting its past to its present.
Who
Meet the students, neighborhood Elders, families, law enforcement officers and other personalities who inhabit Back of the Yards. From Andre Davis and Tamia Parker to characters whose stories have yet to be fully revealed, each brings a different perspective to the neighborhood and its unfolding mysteries.
Why
Every neighborhood has stories worth tellin g— and every person has something to contribute. Through our Studio Cards and creative Workshops, we're inviting collaborators to help develop the characters, places, artwork and story possibilities that may shape Issue #3 and the future of Back of the Yards.
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And we will regularly highlight collaborative submissions made by you on this virtual platform here within this "This & That" project blog, as well as announce any new creative projects, featured Studio Cards, and upcoming virtual Zoom workshops!

Our Inaugural “This & That’ Blog Post!

December 7, 2024

A Virtual Creative Studio SUPPORT OUR KICKSTARTER We create original comics and content with after-school programs, offering a platform for...
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Submit Your Artwork

Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book. iPad/iPhone users, submit images from FILES (NOT from Photo Library). 

Submit Your Artwork

Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.

UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW 

Submit Your Artwork

Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.

UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW 

Submit Your Artwork

Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.

UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW 

Submit Your Artwork

Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.

UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW 

Submit Your Artwork

Collaborate with professional artists by contributing some artwork of your own! Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.

UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW