Postmarked 2009 Reception Photos June 5

June 5: Public Celebration Reception! We had many guests arrive for our reception, including several of the participating mail artists, ongoing Postmarked supporters, and others who saw this exhibit for the first time. "The Jazz Standards" played in the entry foyer, and the crowd enjoyed dancing and listening to their classsic jazz tunes. Pictures below are of the guests and the various antics... Captions are below each photo.

Reception flowers for the refreshments table, thanks to Mike Owens Entry into the Claremont Forum Community Gallery

A Happy Visitor Gives Two Thumbs Up

Mail Artist Helen Feller volunteered to assist at the reception desk. Here, she is giving out a bid number to a guest.

Harry Ragland of "The Jazz Standards"

A visitor locks in a bid

Mail Artist Wes Taylor tries on TWO of the Postmarked entries at once! (He claims they are a perfect fit)

Postmarked Curator Anne is busy adding new bid sheets as they fill up.

Mail Artist Peggy places a bid

A visitor places a bid.

Curator Anne calls Richard Canard, as instructed on one of his many entries. He received at least 3 phone calls this evening in response to his envelope asking guests to call him during the reception.

Guests caught in the act of calling Richard Canard.

Gallery visitors

Mail Artist Pat Evans visits the exhibit

Visitor reading the Postmarked 2009 Information Binder.

Mail Artist Sylvia Megerdichian (left) and friend study the entries.

Gallery visitors

Visitor in awe.

Gallery visitor

Mail Artist Mike Owens knows that mail art can be handled.

Gallery Visitors enjoy the view.

What the ...?

Gallery visitors.

Gallery visitor

Gallery Visitors

Mail artists Nancy Rutherford (left) and Joe Messinger (right) among the vistors.

Gallery Guests

Gallery visitor deciding on her bids.

Gallery guests

Gallery guests (includes Mail Artist Gwen Smith, right) socialize and peruse the Postmarked 2009 Information Binder.

Welcome to the Postmarked 2009 Public Reception! This is the entry foyer where the "The Jazz Standards" entertained.

Postmarked 2009 Mail Artists' Photos

Here are a few photos of the mail artists who contributed to this year's Postmarked. I only thought to do this about halfway through the week, so I did not ask every artist who came in to pose...I am happy to post any additional photos you may want to submit! Also, some of these were taken surreptitiously...if the artist objects, I will remove ....

Mail Artist Susan Brooks, with zebra art above

Mail Artist Flash with entries, top row Mail Artist Sylvia Megerdichian, left Mail Artists Mike Owens, Jan Wheatcroft, Anne Seltzer Mail Artist Wes Taylor

Mail Artist Pat Evans

Mail Artist Nancy Clark next to one of her entries that I didn't quite capture in this photo, darn it. Mail Artist Mike Severin with his entry, top left on pedestal

Mail Artist Peggy bidding on someone else's mail art

Mail Artist Mau Dux with pen and ink on cardboard entry on wall above pedestal

Mail Artists Mike Owens and Seth Pringle - not anywhere near their own mail art.

Mail Artist Marroquin with two pen and ink illustrated envelopes, left

Mail Artist Gwen Smith with Baby Shoe mail art entry

Mail Artist Francine Oller; art bottom row white envelopes

Mail Artist Elizabeth Rose with floral fan mail art, above

" Anonymous" Mail Artist with her skull mail art pieces

Postmarked Curator Talk and Gallery Tour: June 3, 2009

Tonight I gave a talk on mail art history, citing information gleaned from resources over the last 2 years of Postmarked. Thank goodness mail artists have written it down -- Anna Banana, Matty J, John Held Jr, Chuck Welch, Michael Thompson and Michael de Luna, Ruud Jansen, and so many more...It made for an interesting evening for the audience, most of whom had not known about the rich history of mail art, and Fluxus. It was fun to point out Postmarekd entries that illustrated the various kinds of idealogies and approaches to mail art -- the textual pieces, the fluxus pieces, and the series pieces ,and the interractive ones ...fun.

Many people placed bids after the lecture and asked lots of questons about individual pieces and artists.

Anyway , here is a self-indulgent photo of me preparing for the evening at the gallery....

Cheers,

Anne

Postmarked 2009: The Exhibition

Wed June 3:We have now been promised obver $1000 in bids...over 50 bidders, and at least a fourth of he envelopes have bids on them -many have multiple bids. Thank you!

June 1: Postmarked 2009 officially opens!

Today we had approximately 45 visitors, some of whom are mail artists who contributed to the exhibition. We have registered 15 bidders, who placed 120 bids on 83 entries,

promising over $400 total donations so far. This is an excellent start!

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Today Postmarked 2009 is installed.

Thank you crew and artists: it is fabulous!

Let the bidding begin...

When we are closed....here are the hours and the view into the gallery.

Northwest corner, North walls with pedestals in the distance (closeups to follow)

South wall and southwest corner (closeups to follow)

Southeast corner (closeups to follow)

Here is the second shift: mail artists Grandma Peggy, Wes, and Aunt Robyn. Now we are finished installing and can pose for photos!

After the first crew left, I sat to finish off the last few envies and was delighted to find Wes, Grandma Peggy and Aunt Robyn at the gallery door, peeking in. Of course I put them right to work! Here are Aunt Robyn and I installing the Northeast wall.

Seth touch-up painted the peds for us while Pat and Mara continued on the North wall.

Seth joined us at noon,and helped me to figure out a strategy for where to place various groups of envies. Here he is working on the assortment from First Street Gallery, while Mara and Pat continue with the South wall. You can see stacks of mail still on the table.

We use staples to hang the art, except for some fatter pieces that require pushpins or nails.

Then we hang bidsheets under each piece.

At 11, Pat arrived and we began trying to figure out the lazer level we had borrowed from CGU. We experimented with blue tape until we learned to use the level, which was better.

Mara arrived and got to work right away.

I went in at 10:30 to sort envies, and Tony had already cleared the room for us.

Soon, Helen and Dawn arrived with 15 pedestals.