Collab Card 5 by The Mail Art Club, 2021, 4.125 x 6.5 inches
Group exhibition spotlights mail art during the pandemic
At the beginning of the pandemic when in-person programs were on hiatus, Creativity Explored artists began to exchange handmade postcards via the U.S. mail to stay connected. This experimental exchange of art and ideas took place virtually via a new virtual class started by Teaching Artist Michael Napper. Over the past two years, CE artists, teaching artists, staff and volunteers created and mailed hundreds of postcard-sized artworks to one another.
On view at Creativity Explored April 8 through June 11, 2022, The Mail Art Club exhibition showcases dozens of original drawings, collaborative multimedia collages, and text-based work mailed and exchanged between participants of the ongoing class.
Untitled by James Nielsen, 2020, multimedia postcard, 4.75 x 5.5 inches
Co-curated by Michael Napper and CE board member Cheryl Ward with assistance from teaching artist Judith LaRosa and volunteer Sylvie Carnot, the exhibition focused on artworks by a core group of artists who regularly attend the class: Ada Chow, Joseph "JD" Green, James Nielsen, Joseph Omolayole, Yukari Sakura, Amani Swalim, and Miyuki Tsurukawa.
Many artworks feature collaborations amongst artists, teaching artists, and volunteers, that took place over weeks or months, traveling from mailbox to mailbox with new art and stamps added by each recipient. The gallery installation also highlights the diversity of media and personalized exchanges of these one-of-a-kind pandemic artifacts.
“The genesis of the Mail Art Club was to simply send handmade, blank books to certain artists, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. I included a note wishing them well, asking if they needed art supplies, and encouraging them to use the enclosed booklet for drawing or painting and send it back to me.
The response surprised me. My mailbox soon was full of wonderful art – some abstract, some with everyday drawings, some with stories of that artist’s day to day life.”
Exhibition Programs
The Mail Art Club Curator Walkthrough
VIDEO Released May 5 in CE newsletter
Join exhibition co-curators Michael Napper and Cheryl Ward to hear about the origins of the mail art practice at the Creativity Explored. The duo also examines some of their favorite pieces in the exhibition, sharing the story behind the art.
Special Delivery: Discussions about Mail Art
VIDEO RELEASED MAY 19 in CE NEWSLETTER
Join CE artist Joseph “JD” Green and exhibition co-curators Michael Napper and Cheryl Ward for a conversation about mail art with artists Jennie Hinchcliff and Charles Kremenak.
Open call for Mail Art 💌
To celebrate The Mail Art Club exhibition Creativity Explored is calling for the public to join the club and send original postcard-sized mail art to the CE gallery.
Artworks received during the run of the exhibition will be presented in the gallery window display on 16th Street, shared with CE artists during their mail art class, and posted on CE’s Instagram and Facebook pages. Be sure to sign your artwork!
To participate, address your art to "The Mail Art Club" and send to:
3245 16th Street,
San Francisco, CA 94103
Inspire artful correspondence
Pick up The Mail Art Club Postcard Set at the CE gallery or online. Proceeds benefit Creativity Explored and artists directly.
Get the Mail Art Club catalog
The Mail Art Club Catalog includes 64 pages of high-quality images of artwork from the exhibition. Copies are available for purchase at the gallery or via Blurb.
More information about the exhibition
Collab Card 3 by The Mail Art Club, mixed media postcard, 5.75 x 8.5 inches
When the pandemic hit and shelter-in-place mandates went into place, there was great concern about how Creativity Explored artists would maintain a sense of community as well as their art practices. CE teaching artists got to work. We made lots of phone calls, delivered hundreds of custom art supply kits, and worked with each artist individually to identify ways we could continue to create art together.
Tech-savvy artists were keen to attend various Zoom classes and weekly workshops to stay connected and creative. However, many artists who do not use technology or verbal language needed a different way to connect, communicate, and make art. Sending art in the mail quickly became an essential and reliable means for our community to connect, no matter one’s abilities or internet access.
The exchange of mail art had an impact on CE teaching artists as well. “I cannot emphasize enough how the daily possibility of receiving such gems in the mail contributed to a sense of hope during those early dark days of the pandemic,” states teaching artist and show co-curator Michael Napper, who started the weekly Mail Art Club with a small group of CE artists.
Untitled (Field Trip to Happy Donuts) by Miyuki Tsurukawa, 2020, multimedia postcard, 4.75 x 6.5 inches
The group was not alone! Mail art, a practice originating in the 1960s notably by Fluxus artists, had a resurgence around the world during the pandemic. As we all isolated to stay safe, postal workers continued delivering mail. Everyday people rediscovered the tactile joy of receiving mail and artist communities rebounded with creative correspondence. In the U.S. the postal service faced massive cuts, leading to an outpouring of support from the public, drawing more attention to the practice of mail art. Meanwhile, the Mail Art Club at Creativity Explored provided a lifeline to our community when isolation and loneliness became even more pervasive among high-risk and disabled populations.
The core group of artists and Napper were soon joined by teaching artist and soon-to-be class co-facilitator Judith LaRosa; Cheryl Ward, CE board member and exhibition co-curator; Sylvie Carnot, a wonderfully creative long-standing CE volunteer; Hannah Lilly, a volunteer who had taught at CE years ago but was now living in Michigan; Melanie Schmidt, who was from Germany and interned at CE for a short period; and Megan Hover, CE’s Development Director.
The class continues every week on Zoom. The group takes turns sharing what they have received in the mail from each other and what they are working on. They get updates about the current collaborative artworks making their way to each person’s home. There is always lots of laughter and surprises. Together, everyone marvels at the odd-shaped items and unique materials that make it through the mail. Even though CE studios reopened in summer of 2021, many artists still choose to only engage in virtual programs, providing a lifeline and creative outlet to those who continue to create from home.
Art is, amongst many things, a form of communication. Powered by a simple postage stamp, the collaborations and artwork on view in The Mail Art Club exhibition will amaze and delight the wider community. Join us to celebrate the power of art to keep us all connected no matter the circumstance with this intimate installation at the Creativity Explored gallery.
