Oct. 27, 2009 – What began as a brainstorming session between College of DuPage art Professor Jennifer Hereth and some of her peers has evolved into a publication deal with Random House.
Within the next month, the publishing house is expected to print a deck of teenage archetype cards therapists can use during their sessions. The idea, Hereth said, is to provide teenagers with a variety of words with images that will encourage the discussion of feelings and self-image during therapy sessions.
“We started working on these and it was supposed to be 16 cards,” Hereth said. “It turned out to be 88 cards.”
Work on the deck of cards began early this year, with Hereth and colleagues Kathy Kamal, Dan Trotter, Brian Blevins and Jean Bevier joining forces. Students were asked to create artwork that reflects various archetypes, such as “mother,” “brat,” “loser” and others.
“Visually, we wanted the cards to be as individual as the teens using them might be,” Hereth said. “More than 100 students and College alums participated.”
The most important piece of the project, however, was having a local therapist test the cards’ usefulness.
“It could not have worked out any better,” she said. “Geraldine Jender has been using the cards since February and has given us a tremendous amount of feedback. We’ve been able to go back and change certain things or add other elements.”
The beauty of the cards lies in their ability to get teenagers talking, said C.O.D. jewelry Associate Professor Kathy Kamal. The artwork on each card comes from various media, incorporating attention-grabbing colors and textures.
The completed deck will be marketed through iArtists, a group of College and community artists, and published by Random House this fall. In the meantime, Hereth had several decks printed for display at local conferences.
“I sold 70 decks in an hour,” she marveled. “The response has been overwhelming and, as artists, it makes you feel good to create something that impacts people. What has sold this project is the artwork.”