LYNN — GALA Galleries at LynnArts has started its Call for Art Mail Art Challenge. “Mail art” is art that is done on a small enough scale to be sent in envelopes in the mail. A piece of mail art could be a poem, or a small painting or drawing.
There is no fee — and no limit — on submissions. The deadline to submit is June 30, and an exhibit will follow in July. It is undetermined whether the exhibit will be done virtually or in person.
In a statement about the project, Annette Sykes, gallery director, said the project will let residents “stay connected, support one another, have fun, and create.”
Participants should create a piece of art at a 5-by-7 inch scale that may be mailed, just like a postcard. People are encouraged to collaborate if they wish, especially if quarantined with family.
Pieces should be mailed to “GALA, Ms. Tia Cole, 5 Daigle Road, Lynn, MA 01904.”
Pieces of mail art should be signed only on the backside, and all art should be original. LynnArts will collect the pieces and, after the exhibit, sell them. Artists will be unknown to the purchaser until the mail art is purchased. The funds raised will be used for LynnArts operating expenses.
“Mail art history is primarily anecdotal. However, it is believed to have become most popular in the 1970s in New York and internationally,” Sykes said. “We encourage you to research mail art and then create your own version of mail art. We welcome short essays and research that can be cited during the exhibit.”
According to the British art institution Tate, mail art is a precursor to “net art” sent online, and the earliest examples of mail art are from the 1950s, when artists such as Ray Johnson posted poems, collages and prints to other notable artists, eventually giving rise to the New York Correspondence School.
The LynnArts will be hosting virtual discussions, tutorials, and workshops about art and postcard making each Thursday at 6 p.m. To join these meetings, visit LynnArts at www.galleriesatlynnarts.org.
For LynnArts updates, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/galleriesatlynnarts.
