From: Ian C. Dengler (0045-0518 / 0051-0619)

[Jayne Barket Lyons]

Received May 17, 2018: Artistamps on envelope, and a reply to my many questions.

Received June 7, 2018: Artistamp on envelope, and an Add & Pass started by "E"'s fan club.

Back in May and June I received some mail from Ian C. Dengler. I initially became familiar with Ian's ARTISTAMPS on IUOMA. As a longtime philatelist I was quite interested in learning more about these small pieces of art.

At the end of April, I mailed some art to Ian, along with a note filled with a number of questions regarding artistamps. Ian sent a reply - a typed letter with a lot of great advice and insight.

A second envelope arrived a few weeks later. Ian had sent along an add & pass that originated in Auburn NY. (Hey, I know whose address that is!)

Ian mentioned that he "almost never" does snail mail, so I appreciate that he took the time to answer me. Looking forward to seeing more of Ian C. Dengler's witty artistamps on IUOMA and Facebook!

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Jayne, I've received maybe 1/2 dozen of these Karen Eliot a & ps.

I think E - Ambassador of Utopia did actually die - RIP. Now they're being routed back to his hometown of Guivry, France for a possible show? I'm only guessing. Mail art is full of pranks, hoaxes, fakes - although I'm sorry the great E probably did pass.

People were sending out m-a attributed to Ray Johnson long after his suicide - kind of gruesome - but that probably fuelled it.

You can see from your own experience nicknames and fake people are another professional hazard. The Neoist movement starting back in the 70s created some enduring "multiple user identities" that anyone is free to use. They are Monty Cantsin, Luther Blissett, and Karen Eliot.

More recently we had Miss Noma and maybe Moan Lisa might rate. 

[Jayne Barket Lyons]

DVS - thanks for the heads up. With your address being used, did / do these a&ps end up eventually getting mailed to you? Multiple-user ID...now, that’s intriguing. Does that kind of thing go on much?

[De Villo Sloan]

You received an E's Fan Club? Wow.

Karen Eliot (a multiple-user identity) used my Auburn address for a while. But I did not start these a & ps. They're a mystery.