One of the workshops at the 2020 KAEA Virtual Fall Conference was an introduction to mail art- art sent through the mail! After the conference I designed a mail art challenge for my graphic design students and started looking for another class to swap with. My students at Jackson Heights High School in rural Holton traded mail art with students of Molly Williams from Truesdell Middle School in Wichita and we each included a postcard for the other teacher. The students were excited to get to choose a postcard and I loved getting art in return! Those of us who have participated in KAEA’s recent artist trading card swaps have had a blast so I thought “why not do a postcard swap?”
KAEA as a professional organization values the commitment art teachers have to keep themselves active and growing as artists. We know that students benefit from learning from a teacher that is still actively engaged in the creative process themselves. Many of us have also been reminded through the pandemic that making art is good for your mental health! If you would like to make a postcard to send to another teacher, and receive one in return, you should participate in our first ever mail art swap!
This is how it will work!
Look through the slides presentation with full details and video demo: https://cutt.ly/gj8WMXF
Sign up using the google form! https://forms.gle/m2LPu9ACAqJJ2SAp6 The deadline to sign up is February 28th. If you need to withdraw, please do so before the signup deadline. We need to make sure that everyone who sends a postcard gets one in return!
Start making your postcard art!
4x6 or 5x7 are good standard sizes that can also be framed when received. Virtually any 2D medium is allowed, just make sure anything attached is attached securely so it stays intact through the mail.
There is no set theme for this exchange, but if you need a starting point, consider something that will be positive or encouraging to another art educator.
During the first week of March after registration for the swap has closed, you will receive an email with the name and address of the person to whom you should mail your postcard. Please mail your postcard by March 12th.
Connect with us and share your experience! We would love to see anything you’d like to share from the exchange- the process, the finished postcard you mail, and the one you receive in return! You can use #ksarted and #kaeamailart on social media.
If you have any questions please contact Katie Morris- webmaster@kaea.com. I hope you’ll join us!
