Is mail art dying out?

[Margaret Jeddry]

Not much activity here.  Not many people doing add & passes.  Is mail art dying out?  

[Lorre Smith]

IUOMA website does not equal "mail art". Add & pass does not equal "mail art". 

[Carien van Hest]

On the contrary. My experience is that since the pandemic mail art has augmented big time. 

[william S. Paley]

no..i just think people are getting lazy..or simply focusing on other things....then again, the true hard core mail artists, will always be sending and receiving mail art..

[C. Mehrl Bennett]

I don't believe that mail art is dying out. The measure of activity at iuoma-network.ning.com is not really a true measure of international mailart network activity. The A&P technique is only one technique used by the network, and other activity like one on one correspondences that do not involve A&P or ATCs, but are free for individuals to express themselves via collage exchange, or personalized multiples, or ephemera exchanges, or avant poetry & experimental writing, small press publications, TLPs, etc. are absolutely out there. The possibilities are endless as long as the post office will deliver it.

[Ilya Semenenko-Basin]

I am ready to send you the sheets "add & pass". How do you feel about it?

[Margreet Beemsterboer]

I didn't do any pass and share, but like to try... ready to receive :-) and return?
Margreet Beemsterboer
Johannes Vermeerstraat 7
1964 EL Heemskerk
The Netherlands

[Willemien Visser]

Hoi Margreet, I suppose, I could write in Dutch, but for general understanding: "allow me" to send you two very different types of Add&Pass-es, a "1 page"-one and an "Add&Pass-booklet" ;)

[Linda Rogers]

I have, oddly, been less active with mail art during the pandemic. Why?

Doing so much at home and having my husband home more of the time has made me reluctant to make big messes in our small apartment.  I had some mail art returned as mail was suspended in certain countries. Discouraging. General quarantine fog (disorganization) crept in and I lost track of who I mailed to, who I needed to document mail art received and I felt generally bad about letting the side down that way. It was a busy time for me in website design so I didn't really have more time on my hands.  I decided with sustained time at home I would enroll in some online art classes so I have been studying urban sketching, watercolour, etc. filling up journals instead of postcards.

I view this as a blip for me and not a winding down. I have mailed out 8 pieces of mail art this past month which is a return to my average out put.  I do participate an pass on "Add and Passes" but I am a little unimpressed by receiving 10 from the same person when little thought seems to have gone into a copied sheet and sometimes return address has not even been clearly added.  I feel fully justified in exerting moderator privileges in those cases. 

[Eduardo Cardoso]

I've been on this platform for quite some years, but I was never much active on it. I think Mail Art is not dying, and last year was very prolific. I received lots of Mail Art. I don't think a presence online is much relevant to Mail Art's health. It always worked outside the digital world.

As for the add & passes, I used to start more a few years ago. Nowadays I don't start them that much. Not because it's not worth it, but because I'm not feeling like creating add & passes. But I do participate on them. If someone sends me one, I will add & pass. :)

[Willemien Visser]

Ok! Invitation accepted ;) You will soon recieve one -se Deus --or rather the postal "services"-- quiser ;)

[Eduardo Cardoso]

Thank you very much.

[Mim Golub Scalin]

Hello all. I’ve been catching up on incoming mail and though I don’t like add and pass because they’re so chaotic and my sense of design makes me want to FIX them. Hahah oh those years of teaching basic design. Aaagh. But I do them. They’re my challenge. I have started several using copies of former student projects recently. And alas all these years only have gotten one back. Also I’ve started a few add and pass booklets but have no idea if they are still circulating. But so it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut would say. As long as I have stamps and half a brain, I’ll 

Keep sending out mail. 
I don’t always post to iuoma though. I forget. 
have a good week

peace