Navigation

The Mail Art movement--what came to be known through the artist Ray Johnson as “Correspondance Art”--began in the early 1960s when artists began sharing artwork and collaborating using the postal service. The work and process suited the time period. New York City was still buzzing from the post-WWII shift in focus from Europe to the United States, and from the explosion of Abstract Expressionism. The subsequent sociocultural reforms of 1960s and 70s created a space for radical shifts in art practice as well, and an opportunity to claim a new set of precedents. Dada served as a primary influence, both for its aesthetics and its bold irreverence. The ephemeral, egalitarian, and collaborative processes of Mail Art overlapped with the Fluxus artists of the 1960s, and in the 1970s, these approaches were adopted in the zines and posters of the punk rebellion. The focus of this panel is to consider the relevance of mail art as a contemporary model for activism, non-violent protest, subversion of the marketplace, and the creation of community. In spite of its egalitarian claims, the original Mail Art movement was not consistently inclusive in regard to gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity. This panel shines a light on global and inclusive practices and perspectives.