Circular space

Circular space: Pictures of show

2010-11-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Circular space: Pictures of show: " So the opening for Circularspace, the CIRCLE snail mail postcard art show has come and gone. It is still up in the Butterfield Too Gal..."

Pictures of show

2010-11-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

So the opening for Circularspace, the CIRCLE snail mail postcard art show has come and gone. It is still up in the Butterfield Too Gallery as the featured exhibit for November until November 30 so if you didnt make the opening, theres still plenty of time to check it out. It represents the work of over 100 artists from 35 states and several countries.

Some of the more unusual and varied and interesting pieces include a piece from the inmates of the Key West program, "Art Behind Bars",facilitated by Lynne Vantriglia and 30 pieces on plexiglass that were sent through the mail from children in Anya Tucker's Brooklyn Art class to the children of Elena Cifuentes' art class in Tampa Fl. Also included are approximately 12 pieces done by 17 members of the SoMMA (Society of Mixed Media Art) group out of Jacksonville.Work from more than 10 Florida cities are represented as well as from 30 states in the US and 5 international countries including Montserrat, West Indies, Bali, Viet Nam, Japan, Russia and Turkey.

The materials used to make the pieces range widely, including but not limited to paper, wood, masonite, plexiglass, canvas, traditional postcards, styrofoam, actual photographs and a wood framed screen. Some things that can be found buried in or attached to the pieces include a camera, a clock, figurines, toys, silkscreened images, photo images, oil paintings, old music, pieces of a lamp shade, old frames, feathers, fabric of various types, stickers ,original poetry and creative writing, old letters, buttons, advertising, ribbons, stamps of all kinds, cardboard, chain, fishing lures, shells, string, price tags, comic book pages, personalized stamps, a round box, metal, corkboard, gold leaf, mosaic pieces, and even some kind of a skull!
The pieces are arranged in lines according to links of some sorts, some lines are created by one originating artist, others are linked by color or materials, or size or their originatin place. They have been hung by stringing them with fine copper lines through small holes in the corners and hanging them from a random irregular grid of wire strung across the room. The lines create planes and spaces have carefully been left to enable viewing on both sides and manuevering through the maze-like space.
Small lights are directed in various directions to illuminate the room and throw dancing shadows on the floor and walls. The effect of the copper as it bends and kinks is one of energy and movement giving the show a whimsical and fun mood.

There is much to see, it is colorful and fascinating. I thank all of you out there who participated for a great exhibit!!

"Circularspace" Exhibition

2010-11-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

The following description of Circularspace Mail Art Exhibit, and a breif history of mail art is posted at the Exhibit at Butterfield Too Art Gallery.

“Circularspace”

A Mail Art Exhibition

About “Circularspace”

“Circularspace” is a term coined by CIRCLE founder, Kate Miller to describe the activity of mailing collaborative art worldwide. This exhibit was begun in summer of 2009 upon the establishment of the Internet organization, CIRCLE (Community for the Inspired Realization of Creative Life Experience)

Since its inception more than 150 pieces, each a collaborative effort between two artists, have been collected.

The collection includes works by professional artists, published authors, poets, teachers, students, and many other interested creative people.

Among the work is a group of mail art pieces that were exchanged between children from one art class in New York City to another in Tampa, Florida.

Circularspace boasts of works from at least 35 states and six countries.

About Mail Art:

Mail art is a worldwide cultural movement that began in the early 1960s and involves sending visual art (but also music, sound art, poetry, creative writing, collage etc.) through the international postal system. Mail Art is also known as Postal Art or Correspondence Art. Its main promoter was Ray Johnson (1927-1995) who, with his New York Correspondence [sic] School, institutionalized the free exchange of postal messages between artist and artist or between artist and audience." Ray Johnson's Correspondence Art provided Mail Art with a blueprint for the future of Mail Art.

In spite of the many links and similarities between historical avant-gardes, alternative art practices and Mail Art, what sets the creative postal network apart from any traditional artistic movement, school or group (including Fluxus) is its complete openness, an absence of hierarchies, and a disregard for the rules of the official “art system” and the commercialism of the art market.
Anybody can participate in the postal network and exchange artworks. Participants are invited to take part in collective projects, such as this one put on by the organization, CIRCLE, in which entries are not selected or judged, Mail Art generally operates within a spirit of “anything goes”.

Mail Art has been exhibited in alternative spaces such as private apartments, municipal buildings, and shop windows, as well as in galleries and important Museums worldwide. For many mail artists, the process of exchanging ideas and the sense of belonging to a global community that is able to maintain a peaceful collaboration beyond differences of language, religion and ideology, is valued above the aesthetic merits of the artworks that are swapped or created together. It is what differentiates the Mail Art network from the world of commercial picture postcards and of simply “mailed art”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_art

Chuck Welch, editor of “Eternal Network – a Mail Art Anthology”, (University of Calgary Press, Calgary 1995) is quoted putting it this way, “Cultural exchange is a radical act. It can create paradigms for the reverential sharing and preservation of the earth. The ethereal networker aesthetic calls for guiding that dream through action. Cooperation and participation, and the celebration of art as a birthing of life, vision, and spirit are first steps. The artists who meet each other in the Eternal Network have taken these steps. Their shared enterprise is a contribution to our common future.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_art

About CIRCLE:

CIRCLE is an organization of artists/ writers/ poets etc. who are devoted to seeking out ways to make life a more creative and therefore more satisfying experience and sharing that sentiment with others.

It is the mission of CIRCLE to bring together artists of all disciplines through hosted events, projects and community so that we can make opportunities for:

1. Development of personal artistic potential through exposure to diversity and interactive activity.
2. The sharing of the transcendent power of the arts.
3. Generating human creative energy geared towards personal enrichment and positive change in the world

Ray Johnson, Father of Mail Art

2010-09-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Check out Ray Johnson, the so called "Father of Mail Art". Ray got his start at the now famous Black Mountain College. He has has been labeled many things. Among others he has been labeled Fluxus, Dada, Futurist, Surrealist, poet, comic artist, word artist, performance art, correspondence artist and the Father of Mail art. To learn more about him or just for the fun of it, watch the documentary film, "How to Draw a Bunny"
Ray himself did not call himself anything, that was in itself the point of it.He simply did what he did, he collaged, drew, or otherwise made thousands of pieces of art that he then mailed to freinds, other artists and students. He had no expectation of what would become of them or whatt those who received them should do with them

2010-08-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

For everyone who thought I made the Exhibition agreement too long and complicated, Youre absolutely right so heres the re-worked shorter version!   Thanks, I appreciate the advice, now please fill it out and send it in.

Revised Exhibition Agreement
CIRCLE Snail Mail Installation
Butterfield Too Art Gallery

CIRCLE http://www.circularspace.blogspot.com/ or katepmiller@gmail.com
Butterfield Too Art Gallery http://www.butterfieldtoo.com/

Please copy and print Part I,, fill out and send in along with entry fees and SASE by due date of Oct 22, 2010.

  Exhibition Agreement:
This agreement is between CIRCLE (Community for the Inspired Realization of Creative Life Experience) represented by founder and director, Kate Miller and co-founder, Robin Miller.
Butterfield Too Art Gallery represented by Director, Jan Miller and participating CIRCLE Snail Mail Artists. (none of us are related!)PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Originating Artist:
Name:
Address:

Contact information (email or phone):

2. Collaborating Artist:
Name:
Address:

Contact information (email or phone):

3. Title (if applicable)
4. Medium(s)
5. Dimensions
6. Cost (if listed for sale)
7.Signatures and dates for both artists;( signing indicates you have read and agreed to the terms of the contract.)

________________________ _____________________

________________________ ______________________.

Print out the above form and send to CIRCLE, 4301 Seagate Lane N., St Augustine, FL 32084

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The following is information about the exhibition at Butterfield and the possibility of other exhibitions. by signing above you agree to these terms. Please Read before signing The Exhibition Agreement .

Posted by Kate P. Miller at 9:15 AM Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share

Information and Rules of the CIRCLE Snail Mail Exhibition(s)

FYI. Please read the following before signing the above agreement.

1. CIRCLE Snail Installation to be held at:

Butterfield Too Art Gallery Mail 137 King Street
St. Augustine, Florida 32084

2. Works to be Included:
All works completed by an originator and a collaborator and sent through the United States or other National Post Office both from the Originator to the Collaborator and returned from the Collaborator to the Originator, showing cancelled postage from original and return mailings and sent by the due date of Oct. 22, 2010 to either of the following CIRCLE addresses by the set due date.

1. P.O. Box 168, Rock Hill, NY 12775 ( before August 15, 2010)    or

2.4301 Seagate Lane N., St. Augustine, FL 32084 anytime after August 15, 2010

The exception: any work seen as unfit or incomplete by the CIRCLE committee or that does not support the CIRCLE mission will not be included in the CIRCLE Snail Mail Art Installation)

3. Exhibition Costs to participating artists.
Each Snail Mail piece will be charged $10.00 cost to exhibit. ( $5 per artist)
$5.00- to go to Butterfield Too Art Gallery
$5.00- to CIRCLE.
Artists may submit as many pieces as they choose.
(The exception to the $5/CIRCLE charge is given to approved “starters” who have sent in a minimum of six finished and mailed pieces. .)

4.Cost to be borne by the Butterfield Too and/or CIRCLE include:

Design and printing of invitations and mail out
Photography of work for possible catalogue, website or postcards
Cost of production of catalogue, postcards, invitations
Cost of reception

5. Publicity
The gallery and/or CIRCLE wil create and release a local press release and invitations to be sent to the Butterfield invitation list.

An opening reception will be held on November 5, 2010 during the First Friday Art Walk in St. Augustine, Fl. and will be publicized by Butterfield Too locally and CIRCLE online.

6. Delivery/ Collection of Work
Works must be delivered in person or by mail to CIRCLE by the originating or collaborating artists by the due date of October 22, 2010. The Snail Mail piece must travel through the mail from the originator to the collaborator and back from the collaborator to the originator.

After the piece is returned to the originator it should be mailed (in an envelope or other wrapping or directly through the mail) to:
CIRCLE , 4301 Seagate Lane N. , St. Augustine , FL 32084 or deliverred to Butterfield Too Gallery, 137 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084

Neither CIRCLE nor Butterfield Too takes responsibility for Snail mail that is damaged, lost, or sent to a wrong address. Things can happen in the mail!

7. Installation of the Work:

CIRCLE will install the work according to the design made by its founder/director, Kate Miller.
(Note: small pin or drill holes may be made in the corners or other spots considered being non-disturbing to the integrity of the work. CIRCLE will make every effort to respect the piece but retains the right to slightly alter pieces for the overall look of the show and to be able to show the work of both artists on either side or all sides of the work. By signing this agreement the artist agrees to abide by the decisions made in this respect.

Dismantling of the work will be done by CIRCLE representative, Kate Miller

8. Sales of Work:

Work may be priced and listed for sale or may be listed NFS ( not for sale)
Upon Sale of a work CIRCLE will collect 10% of the cost and Butterfield Too will collect an additional 25%. The remaining 65% will be sent to either originator or collaborator according to the information provided in the exhibition agreement. Distribution between artists is the responsibility of the artist whose information is on the agreement.
Reporting income tax on sold peices is the responsibility of the artists.

9. Return of Work

Artists wishing to have their Snail Mail work returned should send an appropriately sized mailing envelope or appropriatly sized, posted and labeled packaging with correct return address, or work can be picked up in person from Butterfield Too Gallery at the end of the show on November 29, or 30th. Work not accompanied by return mail packaging or picked up in person will become the property of CIRCLE or will be held for the next possible CIRCLE Snail Mail exhibit

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Circular Space Installation

2010-07-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

CALL TO ARTISTS, POETS, LYRICISTS, WRITERS and other creative folks.
The Circular Space mail art exhibit will be installed at Butterfield Too Art Gallery, 137 King Street, St. Augustine, Fl 32084. We will have an opening reception to coincide with the First Friday art walk in St Augustine on Nov 5, 2010.
CIRCLE and Butterfield Too will provide invitations and refreshments.Proposals are being made to other venues in various galleries, museums and appropriate spaces in a multitude of places. We hope this installation will move on to many other venues. (Entry to other venues will be juried)
A catalogue will be produced of select pieces if funding allows.

HISTORY OF CIRCLE CIRCLE was founded by Kate Miller in summer 2008 with Robin Miller as co-founder.
Since then approximately 50 pieces have been sent and received, over 35 states and 7 countries are represented by artists who have committed to enter a piece.
Images of the earliest received works are posted on the circularspace blogspot. We will continue to post images and soon will post a list of all participating artists.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENTRY :
1. Begin a piece of Mail Art
2. Send your piece of mail art to a collaborating artist who has agreed to work with you through the U.S. or other National postal service. Be sure to send the piece as a postcard or other UNWRAPPED piece of mail,
The mail art piece cannot be mailed in an envelope or other enclosure, Postage, stamps and Cancellations will become part of a collage piece of collaborative art.
3. When the piece is received by the collaborative artist they will finish the piece and return it , again UNWRAPPED back through the mail. Each piece of work should show evidence of travel through the mail two times, from originator to collaborator and back from collaborator to originator.
4. When the piece has been returned to the originator it is finished and can be entered into the CIRCLE Circular Space Art installation.
5. To enter copy and print the Exhibition agreement found on the CIRCLE blogspot, http://www.circularspace.blogspot.com/ and send the piece, the agreement, your entry fees ($5.00 per artist) and SASE large enough to hold your mail art piece for return to
CIRCLE P.O. Box 168, Rock Hill , NY 12775 or CIRCLE 4301 Seagate Lane, N. , St. Augustine, FL 32084

( I am in NY until August 15 and can receive mail art here until then. After August 15, 2010 I will return to St. Augustine.
Any mail art received in NY after August 15 will be forwarded on to St. Augustine so don't worry about which address!!)

2010-07-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Freinds,

If you are receiving this email it is because you have either already sent a Snail Mail piece to CIRCLE sometime during the last year, you have one that has been started but not yet finished or you have asked to participate in this initiative.

I apologize for sending a mass mailing instead of contacting you each directly. I have many people to connect with and hope you will understand. Thank yous to all of you who have already sent in pieces to the collection. We have about 60 pieces so far ready to go with many more partially done and many many more who have committed to participation.

The date for the first showing has been set. It will be held at Butterfield Too Art Gallery, 137 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084 during the month of November, 2010. The opening reception will be held during the St Augustine monthly First Friday Art Walk on November 5, 2010. This is a very publicized and well attended montlly affair in the area. November should be a very good month for tourist traffic and we look forward to a well attended event.

CIRCLE will produce a postcard from one of the pieces as an invitation and send it to the aprox 600 member invitation list of Butterfield Too. Additional postcards may be available for participating artists by request as long as funding allows.

CIRCLE will provide refreshments at the reception and entertainment as well ,if possible.

We are in the process of application to other venues for moving this exciting show onward when it comes down from Butterfield Too Art Gallery. Possible locations include various Floirda, New York cities and others.

If you know of an appropriate venue that might abe open to proposal please send contact information. Please be aware that venues following the first CIRCLEmay be juried from the original work or additional work sent in. More on that later.

We have worked up an Exhibition agreement that covers all issues connected with doing this installation. Please look it over and consider whether you wish to be included. We have asked for a $10 per piece entry fee, We feel this is quite a small and reasonable fee to ask for and hope you agree. $5 will cover costs incurred by CIRCLE and $5 will go to Butterfield for use of the space.
If funds allow a catalogue may be produced of selected pieces..Larger donations tor the cause and continuation of CIRCLE work are of course appreciated and encouraged.

Thanks to all of you who acted as "starters" for this event. Your cost will only be that required by Butterfield Too. The charge asked for by CIRCLE is waived for you as promised.* Starters "are artists who agree to originate a minimum of 6 pieces of mail art,send them to collaborating artists and then send in the total collection along with required exhibition agreements and charges to the CIRCLE address. If you are a starter and have not yet done so please gather the pieces from your collaborators and ask the to fill out exhibition agrrements and send it all in.

Please download the attached Exhibition Agreement, fill it in and send to the either CIRCLE Address.

PS. There is still time to do more work,The charges cover up to 3 pieces so please feel free to send us more. Also anyone still wishing to be considered for a "starter" please respond asap.

CIRCLE Snail Mail Exhibition/Installation

2010-07-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

Whether the Snail Mail Exhibition will be a display of snail mail or an installation will depend on the amount of work received to show. If we collect a large enough amount of mail art, it will be hung in a creative way so that all sides and all pieces can be seen. If there is only enough to displaly conventionally, then that will be done. In any case all pieces will be shown on both sides.

So do some more, and get to those post offices , we have almost 3 months, plenty of time for lots more work!!!!!!!!

This piece by Kate P. Miller and Dr. Lynne Bentley-Kemp
http://www.katemillermarkingtime.blogspot.com/

CIRCLE reserves the right to jury any piece not deemed suitable or cancel or postpone the show due to lack of participation.

CIRCLE

2010-07-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION FAITHFUL CIRCLE followers and participants.
I apologize for my long absence, I was involved in moving first, finding a job, a gallery and trying to settle in etc. I am sorry to have neglected you.
I still want to do the CIRCLE Snail Mail Installation and hope I can beg your forgiveness for my neglect and nudge you back into interest in participating!!
Since moving from the Keys to St. Augustine, I have become affiliated with the Gallery, Butterfield Too at 137 King St. in St. Augustine. It is a great place with a lot of exciting artwork and shows going on.
I brought all your work into a meeting ( this is a co-op) and asked for a date we could do a show.
I have been slotted into November 2010 to do a CIRCLE Snail Mail show.
All who already sent work will be contacted with an exhibition agreement to sign and send back in if you are interested in showing your work.
Butterfield may impose an entry or sales fee but it will be small and you will be asked if you wish to participate or not.
For anyone who did not finish your mail art project there is plenty of time. There are a couple of ways to start
.
I. 1. Make a piece of mail art ( a postcard or anything the post office will mail UNWRAPPED) and with postage.
2. Send it to someone who has agreed to collaborate with you through the mail.
3. That person receives the mail art and then collaborates on the piece however they choose, draw on it, paint on it, glue something wonderful on it, use rubber stamps, write poetry, prose or a line of whatever, alter it in anyway you choose. Remember we want this to be an interesting Art show so keep that in mind.
4. Send it back to the originator , again UNWRAPPED, stamped, postmarked and mailed through the postal service. No envelopes, boxes or brown wrapping paper please.
5. When the finished piece comes back to the originator send it on to me, it can now be put in an envelope or appropriate wrapping. I will send you all the details and entry form with request for entry fee etc.
6. As long as it has been artisitically collaborated on by two artists/writers or poets it will be displayed. Please abstain from trashy commercial advertising .. I look forward to receiving your work.
II. If you cannot find anyone who wants to collaborate with you send your address and either Robin Miller, myself or several other "starters" will originate a piece and send it to you for collaboration. Follow the above rules when working on the piece.

Above piece by Kate P. Miller and Robin Miller

2009-12-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

THE TWO QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
A. What is collaboration?

col·lab·o·rate (k-lb-rt)

intr.v. col·lab·o·rat·ed, col·lab·o·rat·ing, col·lab·o·rates
1. To work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort.

B.What is Juxtaposition?

the act of positioning close together (or side by side); "it is the result of the juxtaposition of contrasting colors"

wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
A placing or being placed in nearness or contiguity, or side by side, often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or ...
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/juxtaposition

and What do you think????????????????

Snail Mail Collaging

2009-12-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

SNAIL MAIL ART is by nature collage. Even if it starts as a straight painting, drawing or piece of writing it becomes a collage when addresses, postmarks and stamps are added. Many of the CIRCLE participants are professional artists and writers and need no instruction, I have however had several people ask for advice. This is a list of ideas on making collage that you might find helpful in making your snail mail.
GROUNDS - A ground is the surface you work on. It canbe a piece of paper, cardboard or a piece of wood (It can be paper, heavy is better, watercolor or printmaking quality is good, or wood or metal or some object you find that you can glue and paint on.
MAKING EFFECTIVE COLLAGES
Chose images, text or textures that appeal to you and work together visually.
Try having a limited color pallette, a theme or repeating images that relate to one another in a visual way.
Find patterns or textures that go with images or text. What you do can look random but still carry a message or idea.
JUXTAPOSITION A great collage is a juxtaposition of images, ideas, and formal elements of art (color, shape, line,texture, space and arrangement) A great juxtaposition occurs when two images or textures or surfaces that have had nothing to do with each other are pushed up against each other to create a new and surprising (hopefully pleasing ) relationship. Collaborations encourage great juxtaposition. Allow room and possiblity for your collaborator.
EXPERIMENT Collage provides great opportunity for experimentation. Try arrangements of color, space, texture,ahapes and text .
Remember Design 2-D 101-think about repitition, texture, contrast, unity and unity. Make a piece that is visually appealing. Advertising text and images can sometimes be very effective in a funky or irreverent way but use in moderation and discrimination as you would use on any other image. Do the colors and shapes work together, is there an interesting juxtaposition of text and image, texture and color etc? What makes this different from looking at a regular ad?
Too many advertisements or labels thrown together with cliches and worn out symbols can be a disaster. Lay out your elements first and try to avoid visual clutter and text made up of cliches.
ELECTRONIC IMAGING If you enjoy image editing and have the technical know-how, try your layout on a computer You have the ability to change scale, transparency, clarity, tone color, and many other qualities of images you manipulate electronically. You can also combine digital and paper image editing by printing edited images to include in a paper collage.
GELS AND GLUES I almost always use Acrylic gel as my gluing agent. You can use it straight from the jar or you can dilute it, apply with a clean brush to your ground, water color paper is my ground of choice. After applying gel to the paper then attach your cut or torn collage elements to it. Use the brush again and go over the top of the adhered image. If the paper begins to buckle use your fingers to smooth it out. Fabric, wallpaper, rice paper, origami and craft papers and scraps of texture such as sandpaper or pieces of straw or leaves all make good collage pieces.
If you do not have Acrylic Gel you can use regular white glue such as Elmers. Dilute the glue so it is brushable and use as described above. If the materials on your collage do not stick perfectly after gluing, you can brush a diluted glue mixture (about 3 parts water to 1 part glue) over the whole collage once it is finished. You can also use this technique to seal the collage.
The glue you use depends on the materials you're gluing. Some glues simply won’t hold certain materials, and some very strong glues may quickly damage your collage pieces. Rubber cement is great for some types of paper, super glue may be necessary for non absorbent pieces such as plastics or vynils. To determine the correct glue read the containers.
The rule of thumb for adhesives is that anything absorbent will stick with PVA glue (Elmers) or wood glue. Anything slick such as plastic or glass will require another type glue. Acrylic gel will work for all paper and for many other materials and it is easy to tint with acrylic paint to make a glaze.
GLAZING Covering your entire collage with an acrylic glaze can be an effective way to give your piece continuity. If you find that the images just do not relate or you have too much variety try mixing a small amount of paint with a larger amount of Acrylic gel. Paint it ove r the entire collage and allow to dry.
SELF CRITIQUE After experimentation take time to assess the piece for balance and coherence. Does it hold together as a piece? Are the images related in some way? Is there an interesting juxtapostition of texture, shape, color or line?
CONSIDER YOUR COLLABORATOR Maybe m ost of all because this piece is meant to be collaborative you need to remember not to "FINISH" it, This is a very tricky thing to do especially for artists who are used to trying to achieve a finished complete look. Leave some breathing room ,s omethng not quite done, something for your collaborator to work with. Not doing so may leave the collaborator with no other choice than to obliterate some of your work.
REMEMBER THE STAMPS After you finish your collage you will have to afix an address, return address and stamps. Consider these spaces for these elements as you work.

ENJOY the process and result and most of all finding your returned piece of snail mail art in your mailbox.

Tips on Mail Art

2009-12-03T08:34:00.000-08:00

Tips on Mailing Snail Mail Art!

To all of you asking about returning mail art here are a couple of tips..

1. Dont be intimidated but do be sensitive It is ok to cover or paint or otherwise change what you get, thats the idea, do however remember that this is a collaboration. If you are the originator, try to leave the piece a little "unfinished" (a problem I have). If you are the collaborator, look at the work that was started and try to work with what has been started and consider the idea that two of you are working together.

2. Make sure the return address is easy to see, either cover the first one or put it on the other side,should be easy for them because the first stamps will be cancelled.If you choose to you can cover the previous name and address with blue painters tape. it can be easily removed when it reaches its final destination.

3. Request what you want.When you go to the P.O. BE SURE to request stamps so that they dont stick an ugly barcoded meter stamp on there, (unless that is the look youre going for of course, I have used a couple)

4. Buy stamps online to ensure choice. I have gotten to where I buy many denominations of stamps online, then I take the piece down to the P.O. and get it weighed and write down what the pieces will cost, then I come back and put them on myself so that the postal workers and people in line dont get impatient. It isnt much when you have just one, but Im doing piles of them.

5. Do be concerned with quality, the idea is to give your collaborating artist something interesting to work with, a bunch of pieces of stuff, advertising and uninteresting labels stuck in a pile isnt interesting to anyone. Im not saying that commercial stuff and even advertising isnt interesting but use it with caution, go for some sort of visual continuity like a color , a line that connects, or a shape that repeats itself, to pull the eye through the images.

6.Make art out of your collected stuff( some might say trash). If you're using "ordinary" materials like cardboard or aluminum foil try to make it look extraordinary and work into your design. It can be difficult to portray stuff everyone commonly throws in the trash as art. Look at the lettering, the shapes the colors, try to put things together that cause an interesting combination or contrast.

7. Enjoy the process and dont worry about the product but try to make it interesting .

8. Be original and thoughtful but dont forget spontanaety!!

9. Remember do not wrap or put any mail art in envelopes!!

10. Take your time but HURRY UP!! Understandably we all have lives, families, jobs and our own work so take the time you need but dont put your piece under a pile where you may forget about it for months, work on it while its fresh in your mind