Deadline: 20 August 2019
Call for entries

Mail Art for “Structures”
24 August-27 October 2019

The work is presented as part of “Structures” at Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, USA

Entry Fee: No

URL (site includes contact): http://rokeby.org/call-to-artists-mail-art/
Images: by Ric Kasini Kadour

Call:

ABOUT ROKEBY

From 1793 to 1961, Rokeby was home to four generations of Robinsons–a remarkable family of Quakers, farmers, abolitionists, artists, and authors. Today, the Robinson family’s home is a National Historic Landmark, designated for its exceptional Underground Railroad history. Rokeby is among the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country, one the National Park Service has described as “unrivaled among known sites for its historical integrity and the poignancy of the stories it tells.” Telling those stories is at the center of the Museum’s mission, which is to “connect visitors with the human experience of the Underground Railroad and with the lives of the Robinsons, who lived on and farmed this land for nearly 200 years.” The Museum is located on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, Vermont.

ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ART AT ROKEBY

In 2019, Rokeby Museum launched an ambitious two-year project designed to engage artists and the public with Rokeby Museum archives, objects, buildings, and land. Project activities will demonstrate how contemporary art can pick up the unfinished work of history and foster civic engagement in social, economic, and environmental justice issues.

ABOUT THE STRUCTURES EXHIBITION

As part of that project, Ric Kasini Kadour is curating the exhibition “Structures” that introduces contemporary art into the landscape and buildings of Rokeby. “Structures” repurposes historic spaces as platforms for contemporary art and asks the viewer to contemplate the role that structures play in shaping our experience of the world and how structures can inform and shape the experience of others. All of the work in the exhibition reflects, responds, or contrasts with structures on the site.

To that end, Rokeby Museum would like to invite artists from across the world to submit a piece of mail art that will be exhibited in the Tourist Cabin at Rokeby Museum.

ABOUT THE TOURIST CABIN

Built in the 1930s, the Tourist Cabin is the last original structure to be built at Rokeby. Declining farm profits and rural depopulation in Vermont, along with a widespread nostalgia for country life among city dwellers led the Vermont Department of Agriculture to promote tourism as a money maker for Vermont farmers. The Robinsons heeded the call. This little cabin was built to supplement the sleeping rooms already available in the house. Rowland T. and Elizabeth Robinson advertised their tourist boarding business in the 1920s; they charged a dollar for a room and 50 cents for meals. The growing tourist business contributed more to the economy of northern New England during the first three decades of the 20th century than any other single factor except the development of dairying. Then, as now, thousands of visitors drove up from the cities and suburbs of New York and southern New England to take in all that Vermont had to offer–pristine mountain views, clean air, sparkling lakes, and working farms. Edward Striffler of East 85th Street in New York City wrote the Robinsons in 1925: “I am enclosing a few of the pictures we took while staying at your house. I hope you like the result. Next year, before vacation time, I am going to write to you for the use of the same rooms. I suppose you miss my help on the farm. If you don’t miss my help, I miss the farm.”

CALL TO ARTISTS

We ask that artists send a work that reflects or responds to their home or a building in their home community. We envision postcards from artists visiting the tourist cabin bearing messages from home.

Works may be of any style or technique with a size less than 12″x12″. Works received will be exhibited in the Tourist Cabin at Rokeby Museum from August 24th to October 29th, 2019. Submissions will be documented, shared online, and (possibly) in publication. After the exhibition, submissions will become part of the Rokeby Museum’s permanent collection.

All work must be submitted through the mail. Address submissions to:

Rokeby Museum
Attn: Mail Art
4334 Route 7
Ferrisburgh, Vermont 05456 USA

Artists who mail work are encouraged (but not required) to also send an email the curator, Ric Kasini Kadour, at ric@kasinihouse.com with information about the submission and a few sentences about the artist, images, and why they were sending that particular work. We look forward to hearing from you.

DEADLINE: Mail your work so that it arrives by August 20th. However, late submissions received through August 31st will be added to the exhibition.

https://netex.nmartproject.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Tourist-Cabin-1-1024x576.jpghttps://netex.nmartproject.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Tourist-Cabin-1-300x300.jpgnettycalls: generalmail artDeadline: 20 August 2019 Call for entries Mail Art for “Structures” 24 August-27 October 2019 The work is presented as part of “Structures” at Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, USA Entry Fee: No URL (site includes contact): http://rokeby.org/call-to-artists-mail-art/ Images: by Ric Kasini Kadour Call: ABOUT ROKEBY From 1793 to 1961, Rokeby was home to four generations of...@ The New Museum of Networked Art