Mail Art Shows

I love mail art shows. I love the all-inclusive spirit of them. I especially love the risk-taking aspect of postcard shows, of having to put a stamp directly onto your work and drop it in the mail. And I love seeing what comes in - all of the different interpretations and ideas.

I haven't participated in many mail art shows lately due to time constraints. But I have sent work to several in the past. I sent work twice for the annual mail art show at the Margaret Harwell Museum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, although that one is very different because the work is juried after it arrives. And I sent a poem for Roadside Attractions to Trunk Space in Phoenix, Arizona; my poem was even among only a couple of pieces mentioned in a review of the show! The Wish You Were Here fiber postcard show at Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, Arizona was incredible - I cannot believe that artists would risk sending such beautifully embellished, time-consuming postcards in the mail! And the WCA Artwaves International of the Women's Caucus for Art held a mail art show called Sustaining Our Environment for the conference last year wherein artists had to recycle materials to create their work.

I have currently sent a postcard for the Nightmares show at Maryville University. ( I will post the call for art as a comment following this blog post for those who are interested in entering.) And the St. Louis Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art is currently gearing up for a mail art show called Raising Our Voices - this all-inclusive show is open to members of the St. Louis and Chicago chapters, and will travel between the two cities. It will be shown at Fort Gondo in St. Louis, Missouri before traveling to the Urban Art Retreat in Chicago, Illinois, which it benefits.