Mail Art
Making art is one of the best ways we have of connecting with each other. When I see a work of art that really moves me, I often think either “Wow, I never saw it that way ” or “Wow! I thought I was the only one who saw it that way”. By making art, we can relate to people in different ways than we do when we are just having a conversation.
Mail Art
In the 1960’s, Ray Johnson wanted to find new ways to connect with others through his art. Typically, people experience art by visiting a museum or a gallery. The problem with this system is that not everybody has the ability to visit these places, and not all artists are able to show their work there.
Ray Johnson wanted to make art accessible to everybody. This was not an easy thing to do before we had the internet. Ray Johnson found a way to do it through the United States Postal Service. He made drawings, photocopied them, and sent them to people through the mail. His project was called “The New York School of Correspondence”. Correspondence is a formal word for mail. Johnson’s drawings often asked the recipient for a response, like “draw hair for Cher” or “draw a bunny”. He also often used the envelope itself as a surface to draw and write on.
Now that you have learned a bit about Ray Johnson, you can make your own
(E)MAIL ART
Materials:
A regular piece of computer paper or a page from a notebook.
Any art supplies you have at home, just scrounge around and find something that inspires you. Some possibilities are - pen, pencil, colored pencils, stamps, pictures cut out of magazines, scissors, glue, your mom’s lipstick (JUST KIDDING! DO NOT TRY THAT AT HOME!
Instructions:
Fill the page with drawings or collage on the following topic: “What I do when I am bored.”
When I say bored, I mean really BORED. Imagine you are stuck inside on a rainy day in a rustic cabin with no internet, no tv, no video games, no tablets, not even anything to read. How would you amuse yourself? Imagine that your friends are stuck in a similar situation. Maybe you would like to give them a prompt like Ray Johnson did. You should really go all out on these drawings. Set a timer for twenty minutes and don’t stop drawing until it ends. If you get stuck, start drawing spirals or another kind of doodle until you can think of something else to draw.
Here is my idea.
Share your work!
Take a picture or scan your art and email or snail mail it to a friend, or many friends! Send me a photo of your work at laramcannon@gmail.com