The History of Mail Art According to Mark Bloch

Here is a link to an interview with longtime mail artist Mark Bloch that appears in the March 2020 issue of Brooklyn Rail. Mark is recognized as a "historic figure" who was close to Ray Johnson:

https://brooklynrail.org/2020/03/art/MARK-BLOCH-with-Megan-N-Liberty

Disclaimer: I think this is a great article but friends know I'm no huge Mark Bloch fan (and Mark is not a fan of IUOMA). IMHO Mark's recounting of mail art history is fascinating but somehow Mark always emerges as the hero in his telling of tales. For instance in the interview he claims to have invented mail art in one passage. Overall I don't think anyone would contest his knowledge of the evolution of the Eternal Netw

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Comment by maha on March 26, 2020 at 8:28pm

happy international mail art day  in march 2020

Comment by De Villo Sloan on March 24, 2020 at 9:07pm

Thanks, Michael & William, for reactions to the article. I'll try to refrain from getting into my own personal views about Mark Bloch.

Again, he is admired by many and his life follows the evolution of m-a. I find him to be an excellent writer and he has great stuff on the web.

I can reflect on the idea that autobiography is not the most reliable form of history, especially when you relate private exchanges from long ago with someone who is no longer here to confirm or deny. (Even worse when you claim to have been appointed leader and now speak for the departed..... oh, already I digress.)

Overall, I really like the article and have read it several times. This along with Ruud Janssen's interviews with mail artists is some of the best documentation we have in a field that supposedly has no history "only a present."

Comment by Michael Orr on March 24, 2020 at 4:48pm

He has a tough time writing anything without talking about himself. 

Comment by William M on March 24, 2020 at 1:23pm

i was just reading this last night. it's an interesting article.  i often have trouble when(with) an artist starts to talk about how important their own work is - somehow that almost always comes off as sounding egotistical.

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