Mail Art Show

Have you ever done mail art? This unique and wonderful art form was created in response, in protest to, juried art shows.  There are no rules except the No Rules.  No censorship, no judging.  The curator must  hang all pieces received.  I first learned of this no judgmental art form in 1982 (?) or thereabouts.  I saw an announcement about a show in Whittier curated by Leslie Caldera, a.k.a. Creative Thing.  The show was in the window of a Whittier Music store and I was entranced to read that anyone could enter.

I contacted Leslie, asked a lot of questions and arrived to see the show!  Very interesting....in the ensuing years, I did mail art, curated several shows of my own and taught kids how to send interesting and funny things through the USPS. Now, of course, mail art is much tamer, due to security restrictions, but in the 80s you could, and we did, send anything!

Well...why Mail Art now?  Because Leslie Caldera, a.k.a. Creative Thing has another mail art show and I entered and went to see it.   That's him to the right.

The gallery, is what I call a mushroom gallery.  Why mushroom? Because it was a very old warehouse that was filled with %$#@ for many years.  What do mushrooms grow in? %$#@ that's what!

So a large warehouse cleaned out and painted white on the inside, and filled with 4-6 mini-exhibits, one of which  is Leslie's show.  The theme is Critical Mass.

Mail Art is a world wide art form, so the exhibit space was anchored with maps on the floor, please remove shoes.   

  

It was an easy trip to Brazil.

If you are enchanted with the idea of "free art for the world" as I was, consider entering the next mail art show you hear about!  It is loads of fun to do the art and then, if geography allows, see all of the pieces enhibited. Check for Mail art websites...such as www.zyarts.com/zybooks/mailartpage.html

Here are some of the pieces I enjoyed.