Snail Mail Art Invitational 2020
One of the things I used to live for
when I was a preteen was getting penpal letters in the mail. (I know,
I'm probably giving away my age, but whatev's!)
There would be mail exchanges from kids
all across the globe, and throughout the U.S., often with
instructions on places to send letters or "slam books"
(homemade mini-books that could fit in an envelope, that each
recipient would decorate a page on and send to the next person in the
circle, until you got a full book back). Sending away a project,
letter, or a couple of dollars would result in showers of stickers,
missives from other preteens in all corners of the world, and.. for a
few lucky people... some genuinely lifetime friendships.
Now that I'm an adult, I notice that
the whole pastime of letter-writing and sending goodies in the mail
seems to have taken a big downturn. Many of us spend a lot of time
fretting over what someone said on social media, but not nearly the
same amount of time composing a constructive, thought out message.
Writing by hand, crafting a treasure
for those you care about, forces one to slow down- to consider
carefully the next word or phrase committed to indelible ink, the
topics that are most vital when the letter or package will take a
week or more to arrive... To really consider the person who will
receive your message.
Now that the very mechanism itself that
we rely on to get us those special messages- the United States Post
Office- is this year on the brink of collapsing
(some say it could run out of funds and shut down as early as this
July- how devastating would that be for how many workers and people
who depend on the mail?)... I think it'd be a GREAT time to revive
the gentle art of creative correspondence.
As far as fine art and craft goes, this
has already been a thing. The historical movement Fluxus
"...WAS an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product. Fluxus is known for experimental contributions to different artistic media and disciplines and for generating new art forms" -Wikipedia
The various forms of "Fluxus
groups" did work in video, performance, and- of course- a thing
they called Mail Art.
The version of which I'm familiar
involves an ongoing correspondence between artists, in which they
expressed themselves by manipulating the contents of a mailing,
and/or the envelope it comes in. During my college years, I wrote to
one of the original Fluxus artists and received a piece of Mail Art
back! Definitely one for the collection.
These days, the concept of Mail Art
derived from the original "process oriented" focus, lives
on with the benefit of social media. You can visit groups such as
the International Union of Mail Artists, MailArt and Fluxus Books.
You can also go online to join groups
that trade Artists Trading Cards, donate craft items such as quilts
or blankets to those in need, and more.
In the spirit of, not only keeping
constructively occupied and creatively focused during the rest of
2020- but also to help our poor USPS to keep on truckin'... I am
extending a Snail Mail Art Invitational to you all.
For the remainder of this year- if you
want to send me a letter, creative piece of Mail Art, or other crafty
item through the mail, and provide me a LEGIBLE return address, I
will be happy to send you something back. Feel free to come up with
your own mail-related creative projects as well!
Visit the CONTACT Page for my mailing
address. You can also reach me at: soulwiseart@gmail.com if you have
any suggestions that just can't wait for the mail ;)
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