Wreck This Journal (by US Postal Mail!) Project Contribution from Richard Canard!

[Minneapolis Gnome]

Richard Canard's Wreck This Journal (by US Postal Mail!) pages arrived safely back in Minneapolis!  He had pages 44 through 49 and struck a very independent, free thinking pose befitting of a mail artist, in my opinion!  When the Journal asked him for his grocery list he asked "Why?", and why indeed!  We cannot simply bow, out of habit, to every arbitrary demand placed on us when we can only see futility and wasted effort in the result.  I'm sure the artist understood that he'd get faster results placing his grocery list on a online shopping or delivery app than an unlinked sheet of paper.  

On Page 45 we see a similar reaction - why remove stamps from mail art when we all know that sometimes those stamps are more about art and less about postage paid in exchange for the envelope's delivery?  And frankly, aren't the artistamps, possibly made by Cascadia Artpost, much better and more fun?

But look yonder!  On the back of page 44 there's a lovely postcard of many shiny, clean faced grocery store items!  When flipped over we learn about this postcards tantalizing history:

Look closely at the photo credits...Richard C.!  Did you take the photograph which created this postcard?  Did you give the photo to a museum in Mississippi?  Eager readers, inquiring minds and followers of this project want to know!

On page 46 we get another artistamp AND a lovely idea for helping the budget of our US Post Office, so recently and purposely damaged to aid the political ambitions of the artistamp's subject.  HUZZA!

He also gives us autobiographical insight into what type of vehicle he drives, which will be a tasty bit of information for his stalkers.  As a visualization aid, I have researched and am including a thumbnail picture of the vehicle our artist is driving around town in as of late: 

I hope it's a hatchback, because hatchbacks are convenient and useful as heck.  Personally, I only buy used hatchbacks when my cars fall apart over the years!

On Page 47 Richard draws parallels between the journal's prompt and a work created in 1918.  He follows with a brainstorming about white things, whiteness and that Black Lives Matter (Damn right & thank you from Minneapolis!) and gets a bit philosophical in his conclusion.

On Page 48 we celebrate the life of Betty White and learn about Richard C.'s favorite kinds of pens!

On page 49 he shares a doodle with us, because he's an adult, not a toddler holding a crayon in one hand and their older sibling's homework in the other. 

Steadfast and brave, he rejects the journal's request for him to behave impulsively, perhaps even violently, with his artistic pages.  (On my solo Wreck This Journal I similarly "just said no" to a prompt that I simply could not comply with.)  Viva La Artistic Revolucion!  

On the reverse of Page 49, Richard C. kindly includes a postcard with a brief history of the New York Correspondence School! #worththeread !

Here is the front of the post card:

Thank you for your contributions to this collaborative mail art project, Richard!  We're all more educated and entertained by the experience!

[Crystal Kayh]

pg. 44... LOL