EDIT: 10.7.13 : Thanks for submitting for the call for art, guys! We're just about finished going through all of the entries and will be posting the final list of artists on the blog in a couple days!
You open the front door and retrieve a package from the steps outside. You brush the snow away from the return label.
"Light Grey Art Lab" it reads
It feels heavy. What could it be?
You carefully tear back the cardboard to reveal a thick stack tied with a ribbon.
A card atop the bundle reads "From your friends around the world".
Inside you find gorgeous postcards, each one different from the next - letter-pressed, screen printed, thick cotton paper, glossy, shaped postcards with foil. Each depicts something different - a drawing of the interior of a coffee house in Silver Lake, an illustrated bike map of the best places to make-out in Minneapolis, a painting of the different types of sea-glass found along Cape Hatteras. A gorgeous typographic list of slang from New Zealand. A drawing of a pile of uncomfortable- looking high-heels alongside the small cursive scrawl "hurts so good." They all tell you about the artist: their home, their passions, and a small glimpse of the things they find special to their world.
And on the back of each one, you read the names of the artists.
You page through them, marveling at the work. You absorb the new names, you read into the images. You hold one with an image of a woman standing near a pool of turquoise water. You turn it over in your hand for a while. It's familiar and calming. You type the artist's name into the internet. You see a series they've been working on. You spend a half hour floating through the images you see -- You decide to say hello -- ...and a new conversation begins.
Days pass, and slowly you begin to send some of the other postcards, one by one, to friends. Slowly, you share these images with others - forming new connections and new introductions. Each new person participates in a feeling of discovery similar to yours. They look at the images. They discover. They find connections.
****
6 degrees.
A postcard exhibition about the power of the collective voice
Opening December 6th
7 - 10 pm
If there's one thing we've learned over the last couple years -- it's that there are incredible, generous, and warm people all over the globe.
We long to connect. We long to explore. We long to share a piece of ourselves with others and we long for others to understand us -- where we come from, who we are, and what is important to us. How do you share that with someone? The end of the year is certainly a time when we're all thinking of how we can give.
Our newest exhibition combines two of the most powerful ways of giving:
1. sharing one's self with others and
2. the power of support.
***
Here is the objective:
To give a piece of yourself, receive a piece of everyone else, and some day, maybe share these gifts with others.
If you are person that would like to get to know other artists around the globe, if you are into mail art (or just enjoy getting things via the postal service), or if you are into the idea of swapping artwork with incredible artists, this one is for you.
THE DETAILS:
• Each participating artist creates a limited run of 100 postcards.
• The theme of the postcards is about YOU. Something personal and something LOCAL - something that reflects an idea that is important to you, an image of your environment or your culture. It could be what's in your closet, or a glimpse into your favorite place to relax. We'd love for these to reflect something local. The format has to be 8" x 5" or smaller, and a USABLE postcard (The back of the postcard must be blank, or designed to be written on and sent in the mail). These can be done on any type of paper, with any materials, as long as it is a limited edition of 100 pieces (signed and numbered) and should be a new image created specifically for this exhibition.
• The postcards should be sent in a package to Light Grey Art Lab by November 1st along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (Details on this will be sent to participating artists) This is open to people from all over the globe.
• Once we have received all postcards, we will sort them, package them and add some additional Light Grey gifts. (Ooh! Surprise!)
• As a participating artist, you will receive a package containing a complete set of postcards containing a copy of each postcard submitted.
• This package will be mailed to each participating artist before December 6th.
• The exhibition will open December 6th and will show postcard #1 of each edition. The gallery will showcase each artist's work as they sent it - The materials, paper choices, printing choices, modifications, or anything else.
OTHER INFORMATION:
***Since the postcards are to be created as an edition, we ask that all artists wishing to participate in this call for art create art specifically for this purpose. Under no circumstances should artists send promotional postcards or cards that have been created for another purpose. The purpose of this rule is to provide a very special and personal experience for the individuals participating as well as the patrons that will come to experience the work in the gallery.
Artists will also be able to sell larger prints of their work online for the duration of the exhibition. More details about the shipping to the gallery, sales and prints will be available to all participating artists at the close of the call for art.
***
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING:
Please put your name, email address, your city / country, and a link to your blog or site below.
Example:
Lindsay Nohl
hello@lightgreyartlab.com
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
lindsaynohl.com
The call for art ends OCTOBER 4th!
We will be announcing the final list of participating artists after October 7th! Please share this with your creative friends!
For the month of December, we'll be talking about the personal and magical nature of the postal service, the power of the collective voice, and the idea of local pride.
Questions? Please send us a note at hello@lightgreyartlab.com
