collected

[maha]

Somehow people always think that if a group of artists work together that then there must automatically be some kind of organisation that coordinates it all. Well, in mail art there are many groups working together. These groups themselves also work together, but there is NO organisation that arranges all the things that go on in the mail art network. The I.U.O.M.A. is the Union that mail artists can become a member of. The Union has no rules. Everybody who is active in mail art and hears about the Union can become a member just by saying so.

In 1988 the idea of the IUOMA was born. I invented this name and made forms for people to become a member of this (fictive) union. About 300 mail artists reacted in a year, and official membership cards were made, even a official Union Magazine was published. Anybody who was a member of the Union could also claim a special function within the Union.

Even today, people still join the Union. And somehow it gives power, to say that YOU are a member of the International Union too. The Main address of the Union is at the TAM-address, P.O.Box 1055, 4801 BB - Breda - Netherlands. It is just the center for archiving all the things that are going on. But I am not in control of the Union. I just invented it. And to make it official, I made myself General-President of this Union. Sure was impressive when I travelled to the USSR in 1991 and went to visit some friends there who were also members of this Union........

Today online on Ning there are thousands of members. On December 2nd 2018 the 5000th member joined in.

Even today, people still join the Union. And somehow it gives power, to say that YOU are a member of the International Union too. The Main address of the Union is at the TAM-address, P.O.Box 1055, 4801 BB - Breda - Netherlands. It is just the center for archiving all the things that are going on. But I am not in control of the Union. I just invented it. And to make it official, I made myself General-President of this Union. Sure was impressive when I travelled to the USSR in 1991 and went to visit some friends there who were also members of this Union........

[PATRICIA LANDON]

Thank you♥

[Ilya Semenenko-Basin]

Thank You for inventing this beautiful Union. I joined relatively recently.