Snail Mail And Twitter
May 27, 2009 by Janice
Timing is everything. I am so excited. Our friend random has just popped up with a wonderful opportunity to play. Just when I am improvising with the torn up drawing pieces. Playing around with abstract compositions, wetlands and a song… here comes opportunity in the form of a tweet.
Late last week and over the weekend @Art_News asked if anyone would be interested in being part of a mail art project. The answer is yes. At least 30 of us would love to do this.
What do we have to do? What the heck is mail art? Who are these people? Why is this so cool?
Sheesh you’re nosy this morning. Have a cup of coffee. Chill. I’ll tell you.
Here’s what we have to do: Make a piece of original art on a blank postcard, or on anything that is the same size as that and mailable through the post office. Put a real stamp on it and mail one to each person on the participants list. Yes, to their actual in real life address.
Who are they? What will you send? And wait, free art? Seriously?
I don’t know. I am thinking. Yes, free art. And seriously.
And they are people who will show up and join in that’s who. One of my first rules is show up. That knocks a surprisingly large bunch of people out right off the bat. So already I am liking these strangers and fellow twitterers. And they are going to send me an original piece of their work in exchange for me sending each one of them a piece of mine. So we’ll all get complete sets of the about 30 people who made the commitment.
That’s 30 pieces of original art mailed to strangers by July 1.
Now why this is so cool. I now will have the opportunity to do a limited series in this Across the Tracks Series that will also have an event attached to it. And it will be scattered almost to the wind…. now anyone who can’t get the irony/analogy there…well… we should talk.
And the second cool thing is I get to show you how Jacob Lawrence did his Migration series. 60 paintings done to look like a cohesive print series, but stand on their own too. I am so psyched. Yep. Labradoodle wiggling psyched. AND whoever gets these gets a part of history. And a collectible that no one else will have. No one.
Free. Or at least in exchange for something of theirs.
Happy dance.
Now, what if you weren’t there on the tweet line or what if you aren’t an artist? How could you be some kind of part of this?
Well, first of all would you want to? If you would, let me know in the comments or email me. We could do an ad hoc group. That’s means we could do our own little mail exchange. What if you aren’t an artist? No problem. I happen to love postcards and cool stamps. I’ll bet other people do too.
Anyway, if it interests you, let me know in the comments or email me. You would have to send your address by this Friday. And you would have to send the actual mail art/ postcards to those who say, ” Hey yes, I want to do this too.” by July 1, 2009.
And yes, you would get a piece of my work in the mail, for the exchange.
I must be absolutely crazy…what am I thinking.. free art to anyone who wants to play? Janice… really? I must have gotten plenty of rest this weekend.
We’ll blame it on @Art _News.
What about it? Are you willing to show up? Does this tickle your fancy? Is this a way for me to get a photo from Todd, or a Scottish postcard from Joanna? Some “Swim”mingly wonderful mail from Chicago? A cartoon from Friar?
You bet.
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53 Responses to “Snail Mail And Twitter”
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Sounds like fun. I’ll play.
Janice,
Oooh, yes. I’m in. I love group art projects!!
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Don’t Sell Me. Help Me Gather Memories!
Cool so far… artist rubs hands… an original amy and and original kelly.. yay!!!
I’m not really an artist… so don’t get your hopes up TOO high.
HAH! Even better, this is so open to not really artists too.
Hmmm…I’m intrigued. Put me down as a “possible”.
I’m not an artist… but I’d love to play. I’d stretch my creativity to the limit to get something of yours through the post
Joanna Young’s last blog post..A Confident Writer Knows When to Breathe: Guest Post by Iain Broome
Friar,
Possible it is.
YAY!!!
So…how does this work again? We send out thirty (30) post-card sized pieces of our artwork…and in exchange we get thirty pieces back?
What’s considered “art”?
That can be just another postcard (like you mention).
Or a five minute sketch. Or an intricate drawing that takes hours (which might be a bit difficult to do 30 times!)
Friar’s last blog post..Fish of the Week
Joanna,
Ah hah!….you’re in then….;-)
This is getting good.
Not necessarily in, yet. Just askin’ what’s involved!
Friar’s last blog post..Fish of the Week
Friar,
The 30 is a separate commitment for me. You don’t have to do those. That’s closed. But…
You’ll do a piece for each person who signs up here… so far, five including me…and you’ll get something from each of us. I hope we get a few more to make it real interesting. And It can be whatever you want it to be. Even storyboards. So that each one of us got part of the story…. or anything you want to play with.
Yay! Amy Palko is in! I am liking this.
This sounds intriguing and fun and I was in when I realized I would get mail from you. Count me in! hmmm, art, the possibilities…
Karen Swim’s last blog post..March of the Illiterati in E Flat
Karen,
YES! Another fabulous player!!!! Yay!!
And thank you, thank you very much..
Hm. Well, as long as you all aren’t expecting anything amazing… I’m in.
Allison Day’s last blog post..Lemon Drop Roll
YAY !! We have Allison…as long as you promise to have fun with it you’re good.
I want to do this! I had a terrible snail mail fetish for awhile (goes with having a terrible fountain pen and crazy ink color fetish).
I try not to share my physical address, is my only hesitation. (Not that I wouldn’t share it it with you, obviously, but I try not to with open groups of folks I don’t know well.)
Sonia Simone’s last blog post..What I Love About My Job
Yup, I can do that!
Allison Day’s last blog post..Lemon Drop Roll
Hi Sonia,
The address issue is so much a thing of honor here. Our group will be a closed group. Just the people you see here. Every one I think would have the same concern so privacy has to be respected.
I’ll send an email with details when we get the group set. I’m thinking of closing this at an even dozen too. Anyone have thoughts on that? We have just about nine at the moment.
We need some guys…
I promise not to stalk anyone. I’m very lazy.
So much work..stalking…Oh man.. look at the time.. must go to sleep…not with Warren Buffet though.. I have a truly light and fluffy novel.
It sounds fascinating, but I know me – if I have to mail something, it never happens. I’m the worst with snail-mail stuff…
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..Expose Your Somedays: The Next Lab Rats Casting Call
Jan, after thinking it over I’ve decided against it. I just don’t have the time, as fun as it sounds.
Alex,
The irony is just too much…Would love to have you, but if getting things to the post is a something you will do someday…..;-)
Artist sees very lovely man grimacing at that…
We will provide professional nags if you like. We already have an interpreter of artsy-fartsy ness, but we could find a ” help get Alex to the post” contingent..
Your choice. No problem if you don’t want to. Totally fine. Really. I see some race/running themes evolving though that could be cool. Or Nocilla smudged anything.. Kelly would love that.
I LOVE the idea. I think it is wonderful. My problems are time, and the fact that 100% of my artistic abilities go directly into my verbiage seeing as how stick figures are a struggle. I’m even laughing to myself right now as I realize that I don’t even have any stamps since I pay all my bills online. I do love your idea though, it is tre romantic.
Writer Dad’s last blog post..The Sands of Time
Amy,
Aughhh… I understand. Disappointed, but I understand. Maybe next time.. anything I can do to make it easier for you to play? You can do the one print thing if you like. That would be cool.
Sean,
But words are art…as a writer your art would look like words….scribbled…typed.. that’s kind of the point of opening this to “Non artists” too to broaden the perception of what is art… there’s a huge narrative impulse in the art world at the moment…bet you can draw a word on a card…;-)
Okay James of Chartrand is in…so not only do you get a piece from me….;-)
Janice, I love this response
“But words are art…as a writer your art would look like words….scribbled…typed.. ” (and the rest)
This is what is fascinating and intriguing me about your experiment (and indeed, about knowing you) and why I want to play… you encourage me to think beyond the confines of ‘writing’ to the bigger picture of what we’re creating, and where the boundaries lie…
Joanna Young’s last blog post..A Confident Writer Knows When to Breathe: Guest Post by Iain Broome
Joanna,
Thank you.. It’s a lovely thing to see that moment of discovery…and funny it can be found in just letting go and playing…even for a minute…;-)
Okay. I am officially limiting the group to around a dozen, fifteen max., that way no one has to do more than 12-15 pieces ( you’ll want to keep one of your own for yourself )
If you are a “non artist” even better…I will be doing some posts on this that might give you a few surprises. Every one has seen Hemmingway’s shortest novel right?
YES.
I haven’t thought of that in a long time.
*sigh*
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Don’t Sell Me. Help Me Gather Memories!
Yes, yes, I’m in!
Wendee Lee’s last blog post..Yosemite
Yay! Glad to see you Wendee… fun fun…;-)
Okay, you’ve convinced me. I’m in. Would cue cards work as mini foundations for the cards? I already have cue cards!
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..Expose Your Somedays: The Next Lab Rats Casting Call
Alex,
You are such a good sport. Cue cards? Anything that is around 4″ x 6″ and is mailable will work. The cool thing is a lot of things fall into that category. And you can recycle interesting stuff you might have around.
And you can collage things onto whatever you use if you want. Coller from the French “to glue”….
Huge hugs for playing. We so love having your gorgeous self here.
( Yay!! Mail from Alex!!!!! )
My sleeping artist-self is in heaven right now. Janice, you rock.
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: Don’t Sell Me. Help Me Gather Memories!
Labradoodle wiggling fun… Thank you. Cool huh?
[...] the deadline to confirm by emailing me the physical address you want the group to use for you. You can see some of the crazy brave players in the comments here. They are my new favorite people in the world. And [...]
Okay, you got me. I’ll email you my address shortly.
: > )
Writer Dad’s last blog post..The Sands of Time
Happy dance.. happy dance …Sean .. you’ll love it….;-)
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I’m getting here late… thanks for the prod on Twitter, Janice. Count me in.
I actually sell photographic greeting cards. Would that work? Or should I have prints made. I could leave the cards blank inside so people could use them. What do you think?
It’s actually hard to imagine sometimes that everyone has a physical address.
Todd Smith’s last blog post..Preliminary image selection for next year’s calendar
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This is the coolest idea I have heard in a long time. If it comes around again, I would love to be a part of it. I am not an ARTIST in the capital sense of the word, but I believe we are all artists if we allow it. Thanks for sharing this – I’m going to see if there is a way to do it in my circles as well!
Kathy,
I will keep you n the loop on the next one (probably in fall ). It is so cool. We are having a blast as they are starting to arrive. And BTW, I absolutely agree with you.
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