Thursday, July 8, 2010

Mail Art

FISH MAIL

Postcard created from recycled cardboard
with collage over the 'printed' side.
Collage created from cotton fabric,
scraps of handmade paper and an ad,
a scrap of watercolor and ink,
stamping, hand-drawn swirls,
and the canceled postage image.
An extra fine-point Sharpie marker will
write on almost anything, including fabric.

What is Mail Art?

Mail art is art which uses the postal system as a medium. The term mail art can refer to an individual message, the medium through which it is sent, or an artistic genre. Mail art is also known as postal art and is sometimes referred to as Correspondence/Mail Art (CMA).

Mail artists typically exchange ephemera in the form of illustrated letters, zines, rubber stamped, decorated or illustrated envelopes, artist trading cards, postcards, artistamps, faux postage, mail-interviews, naked mail, friendship books, decos, and three-dimensional objects.

An amorphous international mail art network, involving thousands of participants in over fifty countries, evolved between the 1950s and the 1990s. It was influenced by other movements, including Dada and Fluxus.

One theme in mail art is that of commerce-free exchange; early mail art was, in part, a snub of gallery art, juried shows, and exclusivity in art. A saying in the mail art movement is "senders receive", meaning that one must not expect mail art to be sent to oneself unless one is also actively participating in the movement.

Excerpted from Wikipedia on-line article.

MAKE (AND SEND) SOME MAIL ART TODAY!



5 comments:

  1. I told Debrina in New Zealand that I had no idea what mail art was after she said she sent some mail art packages to some friends in the US. From what I could tell, they were decorated packages, but nothing as beautiful and artistic as yours. I'm so glad you explained this artistic venture. Hope to see more soon, too.

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  2. hi there, just found your blog.

    i've been thinking about mail art for a while. my problem is being in Montenegro, postage is high. but i do so want to swap and send away, and stick a thumbs up at the galleries. :D

    enjoying your blog, the variety of your work.

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  3. Oh this is beautiful! I love to make mail art too! Would you like to exchange? If you would like to exchange send me your address to my email account and I'll be happy to send you some mail art!

    Wishing you the best!

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  4. Kewl mailart, Dianne. I used to do some mailart and enjoyed it a lot.

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  5. mail art is a yummy yummy thing. I love exchanging!
    when I am out from under other projects, maybe we could swap!

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