Studio Card #12: Neighborhoods & Residents

Neighborhoods & Their Residents!
What With this Source Card collaborative production, we examine the unique characteristics of our urban neighborhoods, including their unique histories, events and residents.
When We will examine past, present and future states of these neighborhoods in attempt to gain a better understanding of how these neighborhoods originally developed and evolved through the years.
Who As part of this collaborative series, we will also examine the residents of these neighborhoods, including early immigrants to present day inhabitants, and their corresponding influence and impact to our urban communities.
Why In order to more fully understand some of the complexities of our urban centers, we must understand their neighborhoods, including the evolution of those neighborhoods and their residents. And, of course, we plan to incorporate some of these related themes into our ongoing comic series, Back of the Yards, with your collaborations.

A Quick Introduction

Ahh, Chicago.  A city of neighborhoods as diverse as the residents that inhabit the city.  And I would see many of those neighborhoods and residents when I first started this project taking those bus rides to and from those early after school collaborations.  

And it is that tapestry of people, personalities and life experiences that makes every city special.  The food they serve and eat.  The history that betrays itself through each neighborhood’s architecture. The people and their journeys, both personal and ancestral.

And it’s in that context that we wanted to facilitate this Studio Card collaborative series, Neighborhoods and Their Residents, working with urban youth to create comic content for our Back of the Yards comic series based on some of the unique characteristics of our urban neighborhoods, especially given that the participating youth are often at the very heart of those urban neighborhoods.

Within this collaboration series, we will examine different urban neigborhoods throughout America with a look into their residents, their histories and culture.  And with that context, perhaps there’s no better place to start this neighborhood collaborative series with a quick look into the real neighborhood that inspired our comic series’ name, the Back of the Yards

 

The Real Back of the Yards Neighborhood!

The real Back of the Yards neighborhood extends from 39th to 55th Streets between Halsted and the railroad tracks along Leavitt Street in Chicago, and was until the 1950’s the largest livestock yards and meatpacking center in the country.  Attracting the attention of novelists and activists alike through much of the 20th century.

And in many ways, the real Back of the Yards neighborhood is symbolic of so many of our nation’s urban centers. An influx of European immigrants looking for a better life, back when manufacturing jobs were plentiful.  Followed closely by an influx of African-American migrants from the rural South.  All creating a vibrant melting pot of cultures unique to our nation’s great urban centers.

But, of course, those once plentiful jobs would soon begin to disappear due to economic forces beyond the control of those early residents.  Steel would leave Cleveland.  The auto industry would soon begin to abandon Detroit.  A general exodus of manufacturing from Baltimore.  It was just a different version of the same story for many of our nation’s urban centers.  

And in the Back of the Yards’ case, it was the stockyards that would leave Chicago, leaving behind economic strain for those who could not also depart to the suburbs or elsewhere.  And with that brief introduction to the real Back of the Yards neighborhood in mind, we thought we’d share with a quick video …

A Short Comic Feature

We originally created the following little comic feature on the “real” Back of the Yards shortly after selecting Back of the Yards as the fictional setting for our comic series, the first of what we hope to be many more with your collaborations.  

And with that, we plan to do many more short comic features based on the neighborhoods of other participating youth as part of this ongoing Neighborhoods & Their Residents collaborative Studio Card series.  In our minds, you can’t really tell any comic story that set in an urban community without capturing some of the underlying elements and history of its neighborhood setting.  In many ways, the neighborhood is as important as any comic character.

So it was in that context we decided to put together a quick comic feature.  The writer for this comic feature is Len Kody, and the illustrator is Dan Dougherty.  Both very talented artists who have been early participants for this collaborative project.  

So, without further ado, just click to read the feature!

 

Chicago - A City of Neighborhoods

Before we conclude our tale about the Great Lager Riot of 1855, we thought we’d take a quick moment to appreciate just how far that little trading post town called Chicago has evolved. This video is truly eye opening in that regard as we follow drone footage hovering over this modern day metropolis that emerged from this not all that long ago:

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The Lager Riot of 1855

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Let’ s Collaborate!

Table of Contents

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QR Code for Who is Manny Dominguez?
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What
This Studio Card production is part of the Back of the Yards comic series, a Creative Commons project produced by Made Collaborative Studio, and features Carl Jung’s Archetypes of the Unconscious Mind. This Studio Card sets forth the 12 primary character archetypes which we hope help participating youth with their own creative projects and ideas.
When
These 12 character archetypes can be used by participating youth for their own independent collaborations, just as they have been used by others throughout the course of time, from the ancient Greek plays to modern day Star Wars trilogies.
Who
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QR Code for Who is Dan Dougherty?
Summary Traits
TBD
Core Personality Traits & Values
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And Action!
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QR Code for Action Card #4: Create an Illustration!
Collaboration Summary
With this collaboration series, we will work with aspiring illustrators that may be interested in developing new illustrations that could ultimately be incorporated into our Back of the Yards comic series!
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When we began this project, it was based on a simple premise that all of us have the ability to be creative. However, we also recognize that this creativity can come in many different forms and with that, some of you may actually be talented illustrators. So it is that with this Action Card collaboration series, we will present you with opportunities to submit your illustrations by providing you with possible comic scenes, newly developed characters and/or other comic settings to choose from, all updated regularly!
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Action Card cover illustrated by Andrew Dimmett. Content developed by Jimmy Briseno, Len Kody and … you? Learn more on how by linking to the QR Code above.
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Who is…
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QR Code for Studio Card #8: Who Is Andre Davis?
Brief
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Debut
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When
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Why
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QR Code for Studio Card #4:  The Hero’s Journey (Part I) – A Call To Action
Brief
This Studio Card production was developed by the Made Collaborative Studio as part of its comic series the Back of the Yards. With this Studio Card, we present you with a summary of the Hero's Journey, which is a framework that helped many to develop their own creative projects through the centuries and with that, it is our hope this summary may help participating youth with their own creative projects.
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QR Code for Studio Card #11: Who is Carl Castaneda?
Brief
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Debut
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The most intriguing submissions to this and all of our Studio Card may highlighted on our website. We'll showcase them on our "This & That" blog. And a few of you may also be invited to take part in one of our live studio workshop sessions that we will broadcast across the internet via Zoom. And ultimately we could bring your character to life within our "Back of the Yards" comic universe!
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QR Code for Studio Card #6:  The Hero’s Journey (Part III) – The Return
Brief
This Studio Card production was developed by the Made Collaborative Studio as part of its comic series the Back of the Yards. With this Studio Card, we present you with a summary of the Hero's Journey, which is a framework that helped many to develop their own creative projects through the centuries and with that, it is our hope this summary may help participating youth with their own creative projects.
When
The Made Collaborative Studio began as a modest grass roots project started by a ragtag group of participating artists in Chicago and was designed to provide a unique collaborative opportunity for after school programs and participating youth from our urban communities.
Who
This Made Collaborative Studio project technically started over 10 years ago as only a kernel of an idea in the mind of the project’s founder on one of his many bus rides home and through much trial and error over the years, evolved into the Made Collaborative Studio virtual model that exists today.
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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