Yes that is a (tiny) chalkboard and yes it is meant to be ironic. The quote is by Baldessari, who created this piece at my alma matter, NSCAD, in 1971 (which was well before my time!) I'm still deciding whether or not to spray the chalk before mailing... It would be interesting to see how well the message fares the mail but at the same time I do want the message to be conveyed, so that the receiver isn't all "WTF is this?"
(I'm including a link to the Baldessari piece for anyone who is curious!
January 22, 2014 at 11:01 PM
this is terrific! I love the ephemeral-ness of the chalk and the mailing process being part of the work, is what Mail Art is about. I glanced at a book of his while at the New Museum in the fall. Essays. Why I didn't buy it? I don't know. Being tired, perhaps. I actually sent him a piece of Mail Art once, because jjalltheway has gotten his address when she was living in Australia. He wrote back and said "I didn't know people were still doing this." ha ha ha That cracked me up. Wow, you went to a really renowned Art School!
January 22, 2014 at 11:08 PM
Couldn't get that link but got this one - http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/john-baldessaris-i-will-not-make-any-more-boring-art.html
January 24, 2014 at 3:19 AM
Thank you! I was kind of lucky, being born in Nova Scotia and knowing that NSCAD existed and was a viable option for post-secondary education. I think it's awesome that you sent him mailart and his response is hilarious!
January 24, 2014 at 4:30 AM
Sometime ask jjalltheway about her Baldessari experience, she's a 365er.
January 25, 2014 at 1:49 PM
Where does one get a miniature whiteboard? That's a hilarious story Mim!
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