The label below will be present in the exhibition alongside this piece. It is provided here so that fans submitting fanworks know in advance how fandom will be discussed in this project. However, fanworks do not need to take into account the below information and should be inspired by or responding to the piece of art alone: 

Olive Ayhens, American, b. 1943 
Paul Pratchenko, American, b. 1944 
Phyllis Shafer, American, b. 1958 
Cadavre Exquis Drawing #465, 1993 
Mixed media collage on paper 
14 1/4 x 10 1/2 in 
2000.10.1 
Gift of Eileen and Peter Norton 
 

The practice of Cadavre Exquis, or “exquisite corpse” originated in the 1920s as a game amongst surrealists. It refers to a method of creating or assembling a collection of words or images, in order to create a completed piece. Keeping the methodology of exquisite corpse drawing in mind, Ayhens, Pratchenko, and Shafer each completed their portion of the drawing with minimal knowledge of what the others had completed. While each artist’s style is distinctly different from the others, their separate works come together to create the image of a single figure. 

Community 

Fans have always found ways to create community. In-person fan communities are created and celebrated at sporting events, concerts, book clubs, and fan conventions, while some of the earliest online social activities were the listservs created and maintained by fans for fans. Today, fans continue to meet in person as well as online, using social media like Discord, TikTok, Tumblr, and Instagram. These communities are a safe place to express fannish identities without outside censure, as well as to collaborate with like-minded individuals.