STAMPED & POSTED: Communication Art from Around the U.S.A. [umn libraries, september 2019]

[allison]

STAMPED & POSTED: Communication Art from Around the U.S.A. was an exhibit showcasing the recent acquisition of mimi holmes' mail art archive at the university of minnesota in september 2019. the name is a little misleading as there is certainly mail from around the world featured, including large reproductions of ryosuke cohen's BRAIN CELL hung on the wall!

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from umn libraries [link]:
This exhibit celebrates mail art — a rare, fun, and enticing form of art and print culture.

Mail art became a traceable genre in the early 1960s. Artist-selected networks formed “add and pass” exchanges that resulted in visually provocative correspondence that was stamped and delivered via the United States postal system, fax machines, or computers. Zines and posters were likewise revolutionary in content, design, and format.

This deep mail art network from the collection of artist and art educator Mimi Holmes is the most recent acquisition for the Francis V. Gorman Books and Media Collection.

What: Stamped and Posted: Communication Art From Around the U.S.A.
When: July 22 through September 30, 2019
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, Wallin Center, Bell Gallery (ground floor)
Hours: Open during regular building hours at Elmer L. Andersen Library

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notes i wrote on facebook after seeing the exhibition in september 2019: managed to catch the special mailart exhibition at the university of minnesota on the last day it was up! incredible to see this amazing archive collected by mail artist mimi holmes.

umn libraries recently acquired this collection, and i was really impressed with the care they took to contextualize the work well (i’ll scan the exhibit guide at a later time). i went with my dad, who said he now feels he has a better understanding for the depth and breadth of what mailart is.

sadly, i wasn’t able to attend any of the events associated with this showing, but it was absolutely incredible to see work by ray johnson, richard canard, picasso gaglione, john & c mehrl bennett, ryosuke cohen and many others represented here — including mimi herself, of course! the archive mainly covered the ‘80s and ‘90s, but had some more recent work as well.

[Carmen Kennedy]

Wonderful and thank you for sharing.