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ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals) - A Flourishing Art Form Born on eBay
by Nino
eBay Staff Member
For as long as anyone can remember, baseball cards have been one of the most popular and prized collecting hobbies. Everyone is familiar with the compact yet elegant format of the baseball card—in an area only 2.5" x 3.5", these cards aesthetically capture the grace and energy of athletes in their element.
Inspired by the familiar baseball card format with sports collectibles, in 2004, a new art form was born on eBay. A group of innovative artists created a variation of the traditional baseball card format called the Art Cards Editions and Original, or ACEOs for short. Now six years later, ACEOs are flourishing. (on any given day at least 100,000 ACEO originals are sold somewhere on the internet) More and more people are collecting ACEOs; art supply stores are beginning to stock specialized materials that help artists create them. Perhaps most significantly, art critics are beginning to take notice of these small yet exquisite works of art.
 The main difference between ACEOs and the more traditional “art cards” (which also have dimensions similar to baseball cards and have been around for a while) is that artists primarily create ACEOs with the intention of selling them, .... On eBay, artists can offer their ACEO creations directly to a worldwide audience of art lovers, and get better prices in the bargain.
It all began in October 2004 with eBay member bone*diva. As an artist who sells her work on eBay, she had seen the older “art cards” and had noticed that many art buyers were dissatisfied with the range of subjects and quality of artwork that was available. When a friend begged bone*diva to use her artistic skills to do something about it, she adopted a quintessential eBay Community approach – she started an eBay Group and invited members on the Art & Artists discussion board to join. She was stunned by the response from fellow artists on eBay, who flocked to join the group. With about 100 artists joining the group, it grew rapidly, and soon an entire movement arose around ACEOs. Today, the ACEO Group has over 2300 active artists.
Early on, the artists agreed on the basic guidelines to define the ACEO art form. They kept these simple, so as not to restrict individual creativity. ACEOs have only three basic rules:
The size of an ACEO should be 2.5” x 3.5”. The group decided to adopt this uniform standard size, which was widely recognized by collectors. Any sizes larger or smaller would not qualify as ACEOs, and would be listed under other categories.
All work must adhere to basic Copyright Law. This was very important to the founding artists, who understand the importance of respecting and acknowledging original work. One of the most important activities of the group is to help members understand the implications of copyright law as it applies to ACEOs.
There are no other rules. Artists have complete freedom in making creative decisions, such as the subject of the ACEO, or the materials used in its creation.
Once these basic rules were framed, a myriad of ACEO creations began appearing on eBay. Today, art lovers can find ACEOs with pretty much any theme under the sun—ranging from surrealistic fantasy art to traditional landscapes and still life subjects.
The Secret of Miniature Art
The secret about miniature art is the intense sense of intimacy that is experienced when you hold a piece in your hand. When a piece of art is so small that it can rest in the palm of your hand, you are being gently invited to bring it a little closer to your eyes. You bow your head a bit and bring your hand nearer to your face. This is a very intimate pose. At this moment, you have let the piece of art enter into a vulnerable personal area. You would never hold anything dangerous this close to your face. This is the way you would hold a butterfly or a small kitten; very gently and close. Miniature art is a gift, a treasure, a secret and special friend. ~ Written by Carol Rosinski (find Carol’s website on my Links page)
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