Goodbye for 2009!

Thank you again to everyone....please wait until 2010 to send your next POSTMARKED entries....I won't be posting more received until then. Check out the many call for mail art events on the internet -- I'll see you at the Post Office!

Notes and Thank -Yous, June 11

Well...it is almost completed...the mail art has almost all been distributed to the lucky high bidders, and almost all of the donations are in. I posted the mail artist portraits (in blog below reception photos), and welcome any additions you may have. We are all very pleased with the participation from friends and new friends all over the world. I did receive one more envelope today from France --will post next week into blog with the last entries. Any pieces that did not receive bids are available (for a requested donation) in the Claremont Forum's Thoreau Bookstore, next to the gallery. There are very few of these left now, as people are pleased to be able to have them. Thanks to you, the mail artists, the volunteers, and the bidders, the Prison Library Project has received over $3200 in donations from Postmarked 2009. If you wish to know more detail, please contact me directly -- happy to share info -- at this point, the total is not official, as there are still a few transactions not yet completed. I want to thank everyone. Really. Everyone. And people I have not mentioned in the blog for awhile -- like the Village Postmark in Claremont who donates good ole Box 303 every year AND takes extra care with our mail. Le Pain Quotidienne, Helen Feller, Mike Owens, Alison Fleming, Jan Wheatcroft, and numerous anonymous donors made our reception table full and yummy. Dawn Grimes lent us the pedestals, and Tony at the Claremont Forum's Thoreau Bookstore prepared the gallery for all Postmarked events. Numerous people took gallery sitting shifts (Nancy Clark, Peggy, Jan Wheatcroft, Rebecca Tice, Marielena, Mara Sanders, Helen Feller) and my de-install crew Pat Evans, Mara Sanders, Lucette Bourdin, and Jan Wheatcroft , was terrific -- their second year in a row. Yoshie Sakai , Jan Wheatcroft, and Marielena handled the Sunday sales tables - again, for the second year in a row. What a crew! Rachel McDonnell created our poster this year and I was able to place it on merchandise in Cafe Press. The Jazz Standards provided the music for the reception, inspiring some of the guests to dance. Thank you Rick Moore - you are wonderful to repair the gallery post-postmarked 2009! If I have left anyone out, please don't send me hate mail -- I appreciated everyone so much. This project is one I am passionate about. I enjoyed every day that mail came, and enjoyed every gallery visitor who came in, gawked about, asked questions ... I look forward to correspondence with any of you who wish to send mail art my way....and will reply to all. Cheers, cheers! Anne

Postmarked 2009 Winds Down for the Year

After the Onsite bidders pick up their mail art, we group the remaining pieces by bidder number (since many bidders buy more than one piece), and then package each group separately in baggies, along with their bidsheets. Then I go through each baggie, write up a total for the contents, and put the bidder's name on the receipt. I phone each bidder and ask them to retreive their purchase, distributing from my home for the first day (Monday Jun 8, from 8-8pm).

I took the remaining items to the Claremont Forum's Thoreau Bookstore today (Tuesday) for bidders to retreive there. I will hopefully get all mail art distributed by Friday, so will have a total to post for the amount raised for The Prison Library Project from sales and from extra donations to the exhibition that gallery guests gave to the event. Some out of town bidders have asked me to mail their purchase; I will do this, along with the online bidder purchases, this week. The photo below shows what I had over left after Monday's processing. Even Tamayo-the-Cat was exhausted -- but was very happy that his entry went to a lucky bidder in fierce competition! Some of the mail artists who came to the exhibition agreed to have their pictures taken for posting on the blog....I will be posting those soon! If I have left you out...send me a photo to post if you would like to. I was not able to catch every artist who was there...but am happy to post whatever you send. Thank you!

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