It’s Neil Horsky here, longtime intermittent BRAIN collaborator. Been a while since I’ve addressed the Compass readership and I gotta say, I miss it! Some of you may remember my This Month in Boston Counter-Cultural History articles exploring the role of the arts in creating social change in Boston’s past. I’m chiming in now to share a sequel of sorts, bringing the topic of art for social change to the here and now (or to 2018 at least).

The Elma Lewis 2018 Women in Community Arts Collectors Edition Trading Cards celebrate the oft-unheralded field of Community Art in Boston, and the essential and inspirational leadership role of women in the field. The ten women honored in the set are putting their remarkable and diverse creative talents to the profound task of meeting our city’s most pressing social and emotional needs. An eleventh card commemorates Boston Community Arts legend, Elma Lewis.

The printed trading cards format is a nostalgic, novel, and affordable way to hold and share this meaningful content. Complete trading card sets are available for only $5 at Dorchester Art Project’s Frugal Art Collective Gallery and elsewhere soon.

A launch party and meet-and-greet with some of the honorees will be held at 40 South vintage store, 40 South Street in Jamaica Plain, on Saturday, April 27th from 1:30-6pm. Come buy a set or two, imbibe, chat, and get your favorite trading cards autographed by the celebrities themselves!