More Mail Art Mania

More about the wonderful world of mail art.

Sep 25, 2006 Jenn Greenleaf

Last week, we explored a lot of different links about mail art. There’s a lot more information than just that, though, so let’s continue.

To really dive deeply into this subject, I highly suggest you read Effects on the Internet on the Correspondence Art Network, by Honoria Madelyn Starbuck, Ph.D. The research presented in this collection of links is very in-depth, almost mathematical.

Venturing beyond this to other projects will lead you to one of my favorites, Graceful Envelopes. This is a yearly contest sponsored by National Association of Letter Carriers and administered by the Washington Calligraphers Guild. "In addition to promoting the art of calligraphy, the Graceful Envelope Contest celebrates the role of letters in binding people together and serves as a reminder that the people who deliver the mail are career government employees who take pride in their work and care about the communities they serve." Follow this link for the 2006 call for artists.

Another exciting mail art practice is the passing of books and journals between artists. There's something about receiving a book full of thoughts and art, some personal to the artist and some not. There are several useful methods for this practice; among them are the following examples:

  • gluebooks: "Gluebooks are basically collage journals. They do incorporate other types of artwork like drawing and painting, but for the most part, the basis of the gluebook is---surprise---gluing things to the pages. Everyday things, mostly---flyers, receipts, tickets, fast food fallout. These things are the building blocks of the day's artwork," as explained in Lisa Vollraths' exploration.
  • altered books: "It is any book, old or new that has been recycled by creative means into a work of art. They can be ... rebound, painted, cut, burned, folded, added to, collaged in, gold-leafed, rubber stamped, drilled or otherwise adorned ..." as described on Altered Books - The International Society of Altered Book Artists (ISABA)
  • blank journals: Here are some tips to get started with blank [art] journals. When working in journals, remember to use materials that won't bleed on to other artist's work on other pages.
  • accordion books: These books come in various sizes depending on what the artist's vision is and how many different forms of media are planned for the project. You can learn how to make one by visiting this link.
  • decos: ". . . decos are small booklets of paper around the size of a postcard that are passed from person to person." Learn more by visiting here.

    • Another avenue of multi-media mail artist interest is the creation and collection of ATCs. Wikipedia.com defines these artist trading cards as: 2 ½ x 3 ½ inch (64 x 89 mm) miniature works of art which artists trade with one another, similar to the way people trade sports cards. ATCs are a relatively new art form which formally began in September 1996. The concept was created by Swiss artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann. They can be any medium: textile arts, pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil, collage, scratch board, mixed media - anything the creative mind of the artist can think up. Artist Trading Cards are produced as originals, as limited editions, or as a series. You can create a cutting template and ATC envelopes to house your creations.

    Further exploration of mail art projects:

  • PostSecret
  • 52 Projects
  • Altered Art and Collage Projects
  • Naked Mail
  • Free Envelope Templates

    • The copyright of the article More Mail Art Mania in Mixed Media Arts is owned by Jenn Greenleaf. Permission to republish More Mail Art Mania in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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