Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Your Art's in the Mail...Now THAT'S Funny!




With much love and care, we have finally mailed off the documentation for The Empty Space Gallery’s very first mail art exhibit in January, 2004.


"Lucky Foot" Cover Design by Julia Heatherwick




Each catalog was lovingly designed and handstitched by Guinevere Park-Hall!


Yes, it is August, 2005 but love and care isn’t served up McDonald's style!


We had over 150 mail artists contribute a bit of their funny bone to the show. The exhibit opening was packed with people biting at the bit to hear Mr. John Held, Jr. talk about his experiences of being a collector, author, creator and all around mover and shaker within the mail art and artist stamp community.

John Held, Jr. with his fans!

As John Held, Jr. writes in this excerpt from his essay contributed to the Now THAT’s Funny Mail Art Exhibit:

“Many ‘marginal art mediums,’ such as artists’ books, rubber stamps, artist postage stamps, visual poetry, zines and sound works were harbored within Mail Art. With little interest expressed by galleries, and no distribution method for these mediums established, the postal system became the favored means of getting the work out and seen by others. It was also a great means of meeting other creative people.

Even though the Internet has established a faster means of information transfer, the postal service still delivers that personal individual touch so necessary in true communication. But more than ‘artistic pen pals,’ Mail Art remains an alternative to the gallery and museum system, delivering creativity directly in the home.”

(Thank you John for your essay contribution! His complete essay can be found in the catalog sent to all participants.)

The curator and her fans!


The Empty Space Gallery is home for alternative art!




So did they laugh you ask...oh yes, they laughed and laughed and laughed and some of them even remembered to tip their waitress!

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