On Bad Poetry: Ruud Janssen (Breda, Netherlands), Moan Lisa/Maria Morisot (Iowa City, Iowa, USA), Richard Canard (Carbondale, Illinois, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail art by IUOMA founder Ruud Janssen (Breda, Netherlands)

August 7, 2015 - This Richard Canardesque card I received from Ruud Janssen is very thought provoking in terms of some of the Eternal Networkers whose work I follow closely. Specifically, Diane Keys (Elgin, Illinois, USA) has founded the Museum of Bad Mail Art (MOBMA), which is very popular and consistently attracts work. Moan Lisa is currently inhabiting the Maria Marisot identity (Iowa City, Iowa, USA). Moan-Maria has a particular genius for founding movements and issuing mail art calls that generate widespread interest and responses. One of them is Bad Poetry:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/853769131332573/

http://iuoma-network.ning.com/group/badpoetry

I greatly appreciate more DKULTN and Trashpo stamps, and Trashpo is relevant to the current discussion. But back to the main topic: I have kept some distance from both the Bad Poetry and Bad Mail Art calls because I am perplexed about defining what is “good” and what is “bad” in the context of mail art, especially when anti-art and found art are factored in. I am not against Bad Poetry or MOBMA; I am just confused. Ruud Janssen’s card suggests to me that I am not the only one trying to define “bad poetry.” Is it good bad poetry? Is it bad good poetry? I do not know. I do know I am pleased to receive a great deal of poetry from Moan-Maria. But is it good? Is it bad?

Mail art by Maria Morisot (Iowa City, Iowa, USA)

Mail art (plasticized) by Moan Lisa-Maria Morisot (Iowa City, Iowa, USA)

I can offer no insight in terms of helping to identify bad art or bad poetry. Perhaps the insinuation of the question is what is important. I will, however, conclude with the insights of Richard Canard that often address these issues:

Mail art by Richard Canard (Carbondale, Illinois, USA)

Many thanks to Ruud Janssen, Maria Morisot, Moan Lisa and Richard Canard.