Subscription Series Revives Mail Art With an Upcycled Twist

Postcard

 

Wed 3/29-Wed 4/5

When Erin Richardson first conceived of the idea for the Cleveland Postcard Club, she didn’t know anything about the long history of mail art which goes as far back as the Fluxus movement of the 1950s and 1960s (perhaps even earlier depending on your definition) and has periodically been revived by artists, networks and collectives, attracted by the low bar for participation in art-making, with art created on postcards or envelopes exchanged for free through the mail.

She was just thinking about how much she used to love getting something in the mail other than buy one/get one pizza offers.

“While I was in college my grandfather and I would write letters back and forth,” she recalls. “We still spoke on the phone occasionally but our preferred mode of communication was through letters. From there it grew. Letters to friends from out of state. Postcards while I was on vacation. Postcards to the people in my everyday life, just to let them know I was thinking about them even when I wasn’t around them. I was inspired to start the CPC because there’s too much bad mail out there clogging up mailboxes. There’s no joy in going to the mailbox anymore. My goal in starting the CPC is to bring back the joy of going to the mailbox.”

She’d been tossing the idea around for more than a year when she approached Upcycle Parts Shop at St. Clair and E. 65th, which sells donated materials such as wallpaper samples, buttons, bottle caps and cloth remnants for artists and crafters to use. They provided most of the supplies to make the postcards and all proceeds raised go back to supporting UPS shop and its outreach mission into the community.

CPC debuted during last year’s holiday season, when Upcycle Parts Shop opened its temporary holiday pop-up shop to sell gift items made by local artisans with upcycled materials. People were invited to buy a subscription for $15 for which they’d receive 12 cards.

“In partnership with the Upcycle Parts Shop, we create art postcards from recycled and upcycled materials,” says Richardson who describes herself as “Head Postcard Crafter.” “When you purchase a CPC subscription you’ll receive one handmade postcard in the mail each month for a year. In addition to a postcard in the mail CPC subscribers also receive a monthly e-newsletter that gives a behind the scenes look at how postcards are made and the stories behind them.

Subscriptions were closed after the initial holiday sales, with Richardson planning to reopen them next December. However, she’s reopening it up CoolCleveland readers for a limited time Wed 3/29-Wed 4/5. Go here for details and to sign up.

“Each postcard sent is handmade, unique and smothered in love (and probably a little glue),” she adds. “The postcards CPC subscribers receive are different each month. Oftentimes postcards are created on the fly and while knee deep in the creative process. You never know what you’ll receive, but that’s half the fun of it, isn’t it?”

Postcards

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