What is Mail Art?

Comment

Comment by Gary Christianson on August 12, 2015 at 3:28pm

Thank you for succinct & helpful presentation.  The Milwaukee Philatelic Society is holding its annual

exhibition (MILCOPEX) September 25 through 27, 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Airport in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin.  On Sunday, September 27 we will have a special Mail Art Event and all are welcome to

share their mail art and experiences in creating and receiving mail art.  All are welcome and there is

no charge for admission on Sunday.  Gary Christianson

Comment by Marcela Carina Toledo on March 27, 2014 at 5:55pm

please..tell my...are some special "medidas" of the mail art?¡...how long?¡ how short?¡...y must make in some "medidas" o sea...for example...A4...or comun...a ver...si yo lo hago medidas A4...for example...is right?¡ or is bad?¡...THANKS!!!...carina...=D!!!

Comment by Gabriela Alejandra Pirolo on July 6, 2013 at 9:34pm

Very good!!!

Comment by Sagar Rj on May 31, 2013 at 6:21pm

Thank you Heleen

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on May 31, 2013 at 6:19pm

Sagar, good question!

I must say I also sometimes join in e-mail art projects. See for instance this mini-e-mailart project, and this digital add-and-return one.

Is it Mail Art, then, or E-Mail Art, or both?!

Or a more existential question: is e-mail mail? :-)

Comment by Sagar Rj on May 30, 2013 at 11:00pm

Thanks , it cleared most of my doubts...can mail art be digital, we do it for a specific person , then scan it and send...does it work that way.....or all IUOMA folks exchange only physical mail...

Comment by rodnidotcom on May 30, 2013 at 5:11am

great work Sarah

Comment by Sarah Churchill on May 29, 2013 at 2:13pm

I have only just seen this posted here! Thank you Ruud.

Heleen - yes, they are most definitely mail art. I believe this project had people queueing up to receive hate mail, and I'd love to receive one myself! But out of context of this project, I don't think it would work quite the same. If I got hate mail from some random person, I don't think I'd appreciate it very much. This is funny and works because it's its own 'thing'. It's probably even a form of mail art in its own right.

Also, I forgot to mention the putting enough postage 'rule'!! I'll add it in to the video description now.

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on May 28, 2013 at 11:06pm

(I guess the IUOMA Network tried to censor these horrible pieces of mail art by adding extra http's :-)

If we're lucky (or one can call it unlucky) these urls should be the right ones:

Mr Bingo's book,

Mr Bingo's mail...

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on May 28, 2013 at 11:01pm

Great video, great explanation of the ins and outs of Mail Art. Thank you very much for sharing, Sarah and Ruud!

Just one question about the things you told about the Mail Art rules. Indeed there are no rules (o.k., one: put enough postage stamps to have the mail art at least delivered, of course :-)

However: does mail art always have to be nice? Personally I totally agree with you, also I like to send nice mail and I'm detesting offensive mail.

But for instance regarding the mail of Mr. Bingo (take a look at these terrible ones, for instance). I would consider this mail art, too, wouldn't you?