Mail-Art to famous addresses?

[jon foster]

I've been thinking about sending a bunch of stuff to famous addresses and see what happens. Have any of you done this, do you think it would be a worthwhile endeavor?

 

What are you thinking?

 

jon

[TIZIANA BARACCHI]

About 30 years ago some Mailartists as Rémy Pénard from Limoges did it.

[jon foster]

What came of that? Have you tried it?

[Ruud Janssen]

In 1984 a letter to the White House, addressed to Ronald Reagan was answered with a formal thank you note and letter from the White House itself (documented in an interview in Rubberstamp madness issue in 1985 by Kate Lanxner, I've documented it somewhere on the Internet too....

Ruud Janssen

[Ruud Janssen]

Who do you consider Famous? It is a relative description.

[Lesley Magwood Fraser]

I think if you send to Buckingham Palace you also get a formal thankyou note, not Mail Art!

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Hi Lesley! You also got  formal acknosledgement from the UK's Prime Minister if you send something to 10 Downing Street. Most Government Departments will give you a formal acknowledgement of mail received.

[Lesley Magwood Fraser]

I wonder if Cameron is any good at mail art?? One day I'll give him a try and see what he comes up with.

[jon foster]

Completely relative. I was reading a biography about Tom Waits and saw a letter addressed to him at the Tropicanna Hotel and I thought I should send something. I doubt anything would happen sending to places like this, but it would be fun to find out.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

If you are thinking of 'cold-mailing' the good and the graet, you could send them some very early Xmas cards, and see if they add you to their list and send you something back in a few weeks time.

I suspect that you might be wasting your time, money, card and glue, though.

Alternatively, you could mail ME something.

Regards!

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Me!

Moi!

Ikke!

Val

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Hi Jon!

I've come across a couple of books in the UK in which people have had 'frivolous' correspondances with the Great and the Good. One was by a guy who lived in the South of England and decided that he didn't want to be in the European Union. So he wrote to everyone (the Prime Minister, lots of British Government Departments, the Queen, the Pope,  the US President, the World Bank, the UN, etc) saying that his house ('14 Victoria St', or something) was leaving the EU on a certain date, starting its own currency, issuing its own passport, etc.

He got some incredible replies, and 99% of the people he wrote to (including the UK Ambassador to Washington, who I got to know as an External Director of the company I used to work for) took him seriously. The letters he sent and received formed his book.

Now, what I suggest is that you write to Famous Addresses (however you define them) proposing some sort of International/Global/Universal Mail Art Exhibition to be held in, say, 2 years time (or corresponding to some sort of famous anniversary) and asking if they would like to be associated with it, and/or be an institutional sponsor, and/or publicise it on their web-site, and/or nominate a member to the Advisory Board,and/or host it for a while as it tours the world, and/or anything you like really.

What you send and what you receive in reply could be shared with us.

And if it ever really gets off the ground, remember who suggested it to you in the first place: moi!

Regards, Val

[Ruud Janssen]

this could actually work!