ARTSPACE at Untitled is a nonprofit arts center in Oklahoma City, who in 2019 debuted Postcard Perspectives a collaborative mail art project exhibition. Throughout this project, thousands of original artworks were mailed and donated by international & local artists, designers, art students and teachers who wanted to establish a dialogue between cultures through art.
Mail art is a populist artistic movement centered on sending small scale works through the postal service, and is also known as postal art or correspondence art. It initially developed in the New York Correspondence School in the 1950s and has since developed into a global art movement. Mail artists appreciate interconnection with other artists. Traditionally, the art form promoted an egalitarian way of creating that frequently circumvents official art distribution and approval systems such as the art market, museums, and galleries. Artists working in this way, rely on their alternative networks as the primary way of sharing their work, rather than being dependent on the ability to locate and secure exhibition space.
As a community art center, ARTSPACE at Untitled chose to embrace and give homage to this art movement that is centered around collaboration and exchanging international dialog. An important portion of this display is the additional packaging and letters received from around the world, because this correspondence is equally as important as the original artwork on the postcards themselves.
The planning of this large-scale project started in February of 2019 by printing thousands of blank postcards with information and deadlines on the automatic Heidelberg press in our letterpress studio. These postcards were distributed around the world through a successful social media campaign, and we distributed all requested cards. Considering this is the inaugural exhibition of Postcard Perspectives, the community interest and subsequent results have exceeded expectations. The exhibition is designed as a fundraising event with all proceeds going toward sustaining and expanding ARTSPACE free public programming. We will send all remaining cards in an exchange between participating artists that choose to take part.
ARTSPACE at Untitled is a 501(c)3 community art center established in 2003 as an environment, designed to stimulate creative thought and new ideas through contemporary art. ARTSPACE is committed to providing access to quality exhibitions, education programs, performances, publications, and engaging the community in dialogue and a collaborative creative experience. Admission is free and open to the public for regular programming.
