| Brief | For Issue #3, we're opening the mysterious world of Carl Castañeda - and Room 23 - to collaboration. Castañeda has quietly connected the journeys of Andre, Tamia and others from the beginning, but much about who he is, what he knows and the strange space known as Room 23 remains unexplored. We're inviting you to help us imagine what lies inside Room 23, what purpose it serves, and what it might reveal about Castañeda and the larger forces shaping the world of Back of the Yards. |
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| Core Personality Traits & Values | He clearly knows more than what he is saying, but the best teachers do not give they answers but merely point the way. |
| Primary Archetype | The Mentor |
| Motto | “Your dreams are part of the same primal energy that brings all existence into being!” |
| Collaboration Background | Mr. Castañeda is a character developed by Len Kody. He is a way of tying the various narratives and characters created by the first wave of participating youth as part of an after school program in the West-Side of Chicago. |
| Debut | Issue #2 of the Back of the Yards comic series |
Mr. Castañeda has the poise and bearing of a seasoned teacher. But nobody knows who he is. Mr. Castañeda may or may not be a real teacher, but his afterschool arts program is ardently attended by those in the know.
Their regular meetings in Room 23 are no secret, nor are they what one would call common knowledge. By all appearances, Mr. Castañeda handpicks young people of promise and extends them a personal invitation.
His recruitment efforts have been fruitful. Tamia and Russell are both already in the program. Andre was recently invited.
Mr. Castañeda knows more than what he is saying. Which is a little staggering, when you think about it, because he says an awful lot. He speaks to his students as a shaman would to his apprentices, seeming to prepare them for some future challenge. He encourages them to see the intrinsic power within themselves.
“Calm yourself,” he says to two fighting students, “Your anger is your weakness.”
In his classroom lecture, Mr. Castañeda alludes to celebrated comic book scholar Scott McCloud and his theory of art: “It is a happy fact of human existence that we simply can’t spend every waking hour eating and having sex!”
Art, Castañeda explains, is an elevated, almost sacred human activity, because it is not motivated by life’s two most compelling instincts—survival and reproduction.
McCloud puts the whole artistic enterprise of our civilization into perspective, observing that art is what we expressive apes will inevitably do “when we just don’t have a thing to do!”
Be that as it may, McCloud only leaves us with a pithy definition of art. As for its purpose?
Mr. Castañeda has some thoughts to share on that, as well.
“Your dreams are part of the primal energy that brings all existence into being!”
A glimpse inside the mind of Carl Castañeda.
Carl Castañeda has spent years guiding young people toward discoveries they don't yet fully understand.
But what guides Castañeda himself?
The Red Book offers a different perspective on the mysterious mentor—a collection of writings, observations and ideas that may offer clues to what he knows, what he believes, and what he's preparing his students to discover.
Open the Red Book below. As you explore its pages, consider what they might reveal about Castañeda, Room 23 and the larger world of Back of the Yards.
Today, Carl Castañeda serves as a mysterious mentor to Andre, Tamia and the other students in New City High’s after-school arts program.
But every mentor has a story of his own.
Earlier in his journey, Castañeda traveled to Mexico, where he encountered Sancho Panza — a shaman whose wisdom, unconventional teachings and unusual perspective would help shape Castañeda’s own path of discovery.
Who was Sancho Panza? What did Castañeda learn from him? And how might those lessons influence what he now teaches his students?
Some of those answers remain mysteries. But the echoes of that earlier journey may still be felt inside Room 23.
An ordinary classroom. Or something more?
At New City High, Castañeda has quietly assembled a small group of promising young people for his after-school arts program. Tamia and Russell are already part of the group. Andre has recently received his invitation.
Their meetings take place in Room 23, where Castañeda encourages his students to explore art, imagination and the extraordinary possibilities within themselves.
Much about the room, however, remains unexplored.
What does it look like? What might we find on its walls, shelves or desks? Are there objects with unusual histories? And what happens when Castañeda gathers his students together?
Forces Unknown
Room 23 may be more than a place for artistic discovery. Beyond the familiar halls of New City High, unknown forces are quietly shaping events — and perhaps the lives of Andre, Tamia and their classmates.
What does Castañeda know about these forces? And what role might Room 23 play in the events still to unfold?
Every room has a story. This one may have several.
You've met Castañeda, explored his Red Book and learned a little about his mysterious past.
Now we're inviting you to help us imagine what lies inside Room 23.
What does the classroom look and feel like? What artwork, objects or unusual details might we discover? What kinds of conversations, lessons or unexpected events might unfold here?
This is your opportunity to help shape Room 23 for Issue #3 of Back of the Yards.
Describe it. Draw it. Invent something that belongs there. Or imagine a moment that might take place inside.
Selected ideas and creative contributions may help influence how Room 23 appears in the finished comic.
ENTER THE ROOM 23 WORKSHOP →
The Made Collaborative Studio is fueled by your artistic contributions. We’re a community of artists and storytellers who want to build something supportive for creatives of all backgrounds and ages.
We encourage you to participate in our collaborative community by showing off some of your work. We may feature your artwork in the future.
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
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).
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
Some special pieces may be selected to appear in the Back of the Yards comic book.
UPLOAD YOUR IMAGES BELOW
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
