Art on the Address side of Postcards?

[Dawn Mudore]

I am sometimes confused about mailart and so I hesitate to send because I

want to do it right.  I have heard conflicting opinions about what is actually mailart.

Maybe all of them are true and acceptable??

*Mailart should be on the addressed and stamped side of the work. (that is the only side to be

displayed?)....... so what about postcards?

*Mailart is what is on the OUTside of the envelope... not what is inside, so empty art

envelopes are good........... so what about ATCs? (too small to mail alone)

*ANYthing you send through the mail can be mailart.  The object itself being the art.

*Mailart can be in any medium you chose.

 

Please give me any advice concerning the above statements.  I need a better understanding of

what is expected and acceptable.

Thank you,

Dawn

 

[Dawn Mudore]

Thanks for the 2 cents! I appreciate it!

[Ruud Janssen]

For a project the organiser might have specific requests. What one would call Mail-Art is any another discussion. There are no specific rules on the products, mail-art has to do with the process.

Not sure if this helps to make it clearer.....

with best wishes,

Ruud

[Dawn Mudore]

Thanks for your response. Now I'll send out a couple of things.

[Oh Boy]

Mailart can have art on both sides of a postcard or envelope. The envelope can have art inside as well.
A plain envelope with art in the inside is ok. Many add & pass works of art are shared this way.

ATCs can be mailed alone, stick a stamp and an address on them and give them a try.

Many Mail Artist do not participate in shows, limiting their exchanges with other artists.

Most Mailart shows try to display the art in such a way that both sides can be view.
If it is pinned to a wall, the viewer should be able to remove it to get a better look.
Handling of the artworks should be allowed.

The unexpected is expected and anything interesting is acceptable.

[Ruud Janssen]

that sums it up quite nicely..

[Dawn Mudore]

Thanks so much for your response. I found it very helpful.
Now I'm ready to join in on a couple of calls.

[Rachel Fasig]

Unless a mailart call has specific guidelines, I think anything goes (which is one of the reasons I love to do it). I like to add dimensional stuff to alot of my mailart and when I do, I mail it in an envelope to protect it. I try to decorate the envelope. I always put my ATCs in envelopes ever since the post office refused to process 2 ATCs because of their small size.

[Austin Wills James]

If you were to ask 100 different people what Mail Art meant to them, you'd probably get 96.8 different answers. Admittedly, I'm new to the the Mail Art scene, but I say follow your instinct. Obviously there are some projects that people have laid out guidlines for. Aside from those, I say follow your creativity, be unique. Personally I sometimes add stickers, doodles, & always include a quote on the adress side of my cards. Some people may disagree with this approach, but isn't the whole point of art to enjoy creating it?

[Dawn Mudore]

Thanks for the feedback!

[Elizabeth Parsons]

I am new to this venue too, but I agree...unless specified...anything goes! I like your idea of a quote!

[Lois Richter]

My own preference is to send POSTCARDs -- so that all the art is out there for everyone who handles it to see. 

If I'm sending something specific (such as un-cancelled artiststamps or ATCs for a swap) I'll use an envelope; but then I think of it more as "mailing artwork" instead of as actual "Mail Art". 

(This is just my own method, not a standard for anyone else.) 

-- Lois

PS: If you'd like to send something, I'm always happy to see what others are doing.

Lois Richter, P.O. Box 7, Davis CA 95617-0007

(AML #255, country = "Napland")

[Dawn Mudore]

Thanks for the response.  When I finish this semester and finals are done, I'll send something.