53) A mail art a day...

Hello,

I'd like to know how other mail artists "work": Do you produce daily / on the week end / from time to time, but focussed?

The background of my question is that often a "guilty" feeling starts when I don't make & send cards - mostly because my job eats me... From time to time I plan to make a card a day, as quick & dirty as I can, but at least I have cards to send. But then my "standards" come knocking and say: "You don't want to send this card?!?".

Well, how do you handle this?

Thanks for your response,

mischa gerloff

37) Addicted to Mail-Art?

I know that some people stumble onto mail-Art, explore it. Play the game, and after a while (sometimes a few years) stop and leave. Some stay, and have become addicted to the exhange of art, ideas and the community involved.

Why does one get addicted?

(the images below I got by mail as a reaction to this question.)

33) Thesis on Mail-Art

Over the years several persons have done research on the subject of mail-art. Some of the results I have in my collection. I am quite interested in reading these results. If someone has a thesis (or even has written one him/her-selve) I would very much like to read it. Maybe some readers can also direct me to sources. I know of some works (and have read them), but welcome any new texts to explore.

I know of works by Michael Lumb (UK), Carola van der Heijden (NL), Honoria (USA). Still looking for the text written by Donavan (UK).

32) How does one stop with Mail-Art?

Stopping with Mail-Art sometimes seems so easy. Just don't send anything out, and the mail to you will dry up. Some even send mailings out to the network telling everyobdy they stop. Some even had to stop because of finacial problems or other problems. Did somebody stop somewhere in the past and would like to explain why?

29) Sell your archive?

I know that most mail-artists that have been arround for decades have build up quite a collection. The best pieces they keep, other things they recycle. The 'garbage' is dealt with (or not). That leaves you with a problem of a growing collection that takes more time and is getting valuable. What do you think of the options:

1. Sell it to the highest bidder.
2. Arrange a museum of organisation to invest in currating the collection

And what to do when no-one wants the collection? Leave if for the next generation to decide on?

27) Mail-Art and Money don't mix

Lon Spiegelman made this statement. Money should not be involved in the "game" of mail-art. I know that this rule has several aspect. Is it allowed to sell a mail-art catalogue to the network? Can you ask an entrance fee for a mail-art show. Can you sell your mail-art collection to a museum or established archive? All these things have happened in te past.

25) Is it allowed to throw away mail-art you receive?

This question is interesting since I once told in an interview years ago that I threw away some pieces I consider 'garbage'. I was confronted with very strong reactions against this statement that it was considered not done. What to do with a piece of mail you get that you don't want to keep (=archive) and you don't feel fit in distributing further?

If mail-art is guilt-free, then there should not be a problem. If there is the expectation that all one sends is archived by the receiver expects that from you, there is a problem.

Do you keep all mail-art you have ever received?

23) What isn't Mail-Art

Seems like a lot of contributors want to show us what IS mail-art. Nothing wrong with that. I am currious to what we consider NOT mail-art? A nice example can be the project where mail-artists are called to send in works that is goijng to be sold for a good cause. A mail-art project where one can buy the catalogue, a mail-art project that askes an entrance fee. That is where the borders come closer to what we call mail-art or not. It has to do with the global intension I guess as well.

17) Is Mail-Art guilt-free?

With the term "guilt-free" I mean: Is the receiver of a mail-art piece free to do what he wants? (Answer the piece, just absorb it, ignore it, etc....) Or is he/she supposed to answer the mail-art piece?

14) Four questions from Rachel

Rachel is doing research on the topic of mail-art and asks the 4 basic questions she sees. They are placed below. Maybe you can help her with giving your answers.....

I started to number the other questions/topics as well. This way we can bring some structure into the discussions. Place you comments on each item. When you bring in a topic, please feel free to explani what you want to know as detailed as you want.

This blog will get interesting for people who want to research mail-art and want to know about the many views that we have.

8) Is this Book Mail-Art?

Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock. It is a book I read that deals with the fictive correspondence of two persons. All done very well. I wonder. Do you consider this mail-Art? At www.amazon.com you can look inside the first pages of the book to have an idea. There are 3 (or more?) issues of this series....

6) No Questions? Just start to ask....

Well Mail-Artists. This is a blog where you can too publish your views and thoughts. Since there are now already some contributors who signed up, you will sure get some reactions. This Blog can be used to get the information you want to have. So far I seem to be the only to post here, So who is next? Get answers to the things you always wanted to know (and maybe get answers).

4) Digital contributions for a Mail-Art Project

A lot of Mail-Art projects are being started every month. Some accept also digital contributions, some only want to receive the real mail (snail-mail) as contribution. What is your view about this?

3) Catalogues

Because I am taking part in Mail-Art for a long time I also have quite a collection of catalogues. In the last years the new media also brought me CD-catalogs. The new catalogues are nowadays online websites and BLOGS. I know I still prefer the book-form although it is the most expensive form to publish the results of a project. Is this the way it will go in the future. Will Mail-Art more and more become a digital happening.

2) Doing Mail-Art or Talk about it?

Yes, I know that there are mail-artists who rather just DO mail-art and don't want to discuss the subject. I on the other hand, always have liked to discuss the subject. Mail-art is a bit broader than the regular projects that one sees online. Mail-Art is a conceptual art-form that comes out of the need to communicate. It also originates from the Fluxus Mvement and now stands on its own. Do i see these things right?