The State of Trashpo: Some Recent Work by Diane Keys (Elgin, Illinois, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail art by IUOMA member Diane Keys (Elgin, Illinois, USA)

 

March 2, 2019 - Several Tenderfoots have asked me, “Rancher, what is going on with Trashpo and DKult these days?”

Pondering the question, I realized that an entire new “generation” (or wave) of Eternal Networkers has risen in the glare, glorious illumination and mythic power of Trashpo and DKult. But these newcomers have had no or only minimal contact with the Legends of Trashpo themselves.

Thus these new networkers have not experienced the wonder of Trashpo appearing in their mailboxes. They do not know the joy of interacting daily online with DK, DharmaDaDa Neil, Thom, BG, KDJ, Miss Becca, Mail Art Martha, Not Hi Ng, Jesus Jim, Lucy Pierre and so many other Trashpo legends. (They all know Richard Canard, however.)  Too bad DKult doesn’t have a “Make A Wish Foundation.” But I am sorry to report that those early days will not return.

I believe the reason for this draught of authentic Trashpo now is easily explained by the shift of Trashpo’s digital headquarters from IUOMA-Ning to a Facebook group that is below the radar. Also Trashpo and DKult are approaching A DECADE OF EXISTENCE in the network and have had a huge impact on mail art, culminating with Trashpo being collected in the Museum of Modern Art.

Networkers know, of course, that a decade in the Eternal Network is a nearly unfathomable amount of time – close to 300 dog years. Many of the Legends of Trashpo and Kulters have evolved in the attainment of the Trashmind and/or moved on in various ways to achieve perfect slack beyond the comprehension of “Normals.”

A solid Trashpo core remains with new additions such as Gretel Ostenbach, Jayne Lions, Lisa Lisa and Tom Lewis & His Amazing Wisconsin Bobcats. No, Trashpo is not what it was formerly; but it does continue and anyone is welcome to participate. You just need to seek it out a little more than in the past (which is how mail art originally worked anyway.)

Now: “Rancher, what is going on with Trashpo and DKult these days?” That’s the easy part. Trashpo is whatever Diane Keys is doing and says it is. So I am sharing selections from mail art received from Diane Keys, spanning many months but relatively current and hitherto undocumented, to give you a sense of contemporary Trashpo. Deepest thanks to DK!

 

Mail art by Diane Keys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mail art by Diane Keys

 

 

 

 

[De Villo Sloan]