IA Unveils 2023-24 Mail Art Project Gallery

We are pleased to share a moment of beauty with the IA network at the height of the U.S. electoral process. The 2023-2024 Mail Art Project online gallery is now live to view the thoughtful artworks and collective creations from the IA member network. 

The 2023-24 Mail Art Project was inspired by the 2023 IA National Gathering theme: Radical Reckoning: Invoking the Elements for Collective Change. The project was open to all IA members – faculty, staff, and students. Participation was free, and participants were mailed a small kit with instructions, a prompt, and a few art supplies and materials to get started.

The submissions are a reminder of the power of creativity and playfulness to connect us with imagination and possibility. We are especially inspired by the group submissions from members, who utilized the Mail Art Project as an opportunity to gather together for collective reflection, art-making, and discussion:

• IA collaborators at Vanderbilt University engaged the Mail Art Project to revisit the theme of radical reckoning and share inspirational phrases and stories.
• Colleagues at Red House in Georgetown University incorporated the Mail Art Project into a “crafternoon” event.
• Laken Brooks at University of Florida used the Mail Art Project to create a communal composition inspired by the ingenuity of Appalachian Packhorse Librarians. 

You can explore all submissions from this year (and the archive from previous years) on our Mail Art Project website.

ABOUT THE MAIL ART PROJECT

The Mail Art Project is an annual creative activity free to IA members, inspired by the IA National Gathering theme. Mail art, or correspondence art, traditionally has been a way for individuals to create and send small-scale works of art through the postal service. A variety of media can be used in mail art, including: paper, postcards, found or recycled images and objects, stamps, paint, photographs, music, poetry, or anything else that can be put in an envelope and sent via post.