Send us a small drawing, Polaroid, or photograph of how you might interpret Buy Art. Not Underwear. -we will start posting them in the gallery.

Buy Art. Not Underwear.

The artists at Ice Cube Gallery, a brand new artists cooperative in Denver, Colorado invite you to comment on the commercial aspect of art-making.

What are the things that bind us together as artists? We disagree on everything. Aesthetics, color, line, value. What is art? What isn’t art? What is good bad ugly? One thing that united this group of artists as we started this cooperative, Ice Cube Gallery, was our desire to make it financially feasible to have this place to create, push, put out installations that get us out of our normal comfort zones.

Oscar Wilde said that when bankers get together for dinner, they discuss art. When artists get together for dinner, they discuss money. Perhaps this may be true for the fact that most artists are always thinking about how to make the money to pay for the space and materials to make the art.

Andy Warhol said that:

Making money is art
and working is art
and good business
is the best art.

I am not really sure that this is true but, he definitely reflected modern and contemporary reality. It seems as though the only way to make art that gets noticed is to play by the rules of the market.

As we were gearing up for our first group show we noticed this little tidbit in the New York Times that says- According to some economists, rising underwear sales are an indicator of easing recession.

A few of us working on getting the cooperative off the ground started to imagine ourselves in a new piece of art instead of new underwear. Some people want to Photoshop their head onto someone else’s body while holding up their art. Kathy Knaus and I started to think about creating art with our body parts that might wear underwear.

Send us a small drawing, Polaroid, or photograph of how you might interpret Buy Art. Not Underwear. -and we will start posting them in the gallery. No Deadline. We will keep posting them in the gallery as they come in.

Okay- Mail art tries to circumvent the whole commercial aspect but, as usual mail art is now part of the gallery experiece.

Ice Cube Gallery
3320 Walnut St.
Denver, CO 80205
c/ o Theresa A Anderson

Fe-Mail Box would like to invite you to:
participate in a mail art exhibition themed “Where Are You Coming From?” We have accepted regional and international artists to submitting 4” x 6” original work on paper for exhibition and sale. Painting, drawing, photography, printmaking and mixed media are all welcome. We are accepting submissions until June 5th.

"Where are you coming from?", opens Friday, June 12 as part of the East End Arts District summer art walk, with a public reception from 5 – 9 pm, at anderson’s art box/east end applied arts, 1556 Florence Street, 80010 in Aurora. The exhibition continues through July 8 from noon – 5.30pm. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Some standout entries include the small and sweet: photographic multi-media, abstract prints, urban figurative drawings, multiple plastic/ fiber arts, expatriate gleanings, and small airbrushed corporate logos. The logos deftly reference the graffiti of the corporate culture. Flipping back mail art to a page before the slick magazines discovered it- the entry, how not to draw a bunny, calls to mind the documentary, how to draw a bunny, on mail art founder Ray Johnson.

Video from Artforum

Out last night having deep conversations about Art- I had to look up Ray Johnson, mail art founder, this morning and I found this great page of video at the ArtForum site. This video is the trailer from the documentary How to Draw a Bunny

This week's newest submissions

This week

First postings

If an artist sent more than one piece, we may only post one or two for now. We love the envelopes, too and so will post those as well. Thank you to everyone who has sent work in. Its not to late to participate as we extended the deadline to June 5 so pass the word!!

Where am I coming from? One artist explanation

Have you had those dreams where you are suddenly flying? I read that it is a sign of feeling empowered. I have had them where I could sleep and sleep and just make myself fly. The downside is that typically there was something bad going on and now you are suddenly feeling empowered about how to deal with it.
I have been a little stuck on Gustave Flaubert's writing, particularly The Temptation of St Anthony. His style is very descriptive and if the setting was more current it could play on CSI. The narrative is crunchy and dark like my current fascination with the vivid imagery of cop shows, self-help shows, and realityTV. The Temptation of St. Anthony shows the dark side of Roman Catholicism, something to which I have been told I have the Oedipal Complex. (That may be another blog in itself.)
Here is this guy, Anthony, who really needs to learn how to fly. St. Anthony flogs himself, denies himself, and hides himself and then becomes a Saint for his work in the church. When I watch CSI and see the kooky things people do, the self-harm I often just can't imagine how these things happen. Personally, I have enough family tragedy that I realize it does happen.
I just don't think as a culture we realize the historical precedents in society that somehow seems to reward that behavior. I recently picked up a magazine, Skateboarding, or something like that with image after image of men flying through the air. A few images show the blood and gore after. They are badges of honor. I am connecting with these guys who are throwing themselves in the air. I can only do this in my dreams- my safe outlet.
It seems as if sport and television offer a controlled outlet, a safe outlet for the release of pain. When a teenager cuts in private it is not sanctioned, but, she can go on Dr. Phil and chase away the demons. Is watching this on tv just like flying in my dream? Virtual reality?

Three picks from Fe-mail box submissions

Oh, yes I think we are hooked on the anticipation of opening those little quirky envelopes!

Mail Art call for Entry: "Where RU coming from?"

FeMail Box would like to invite you to:

participate in a mail art exhibition themed “Where are you coming from?” We are looking for regional and international artists to submit 4” x 6” original work on paper for exhibition and sale. Each work will be sold for $10, with proceeds funding this project and future Fe-Mail Box events. Painting, drawing, photography, printmaking and mixed media are all welcome. The exhibition will be hosted by East End Applied Arts and anderson’s art box which are both located at 1556 Florence Street in Aurora, Colorado.

“Where are you coming from?” was inspired by the fact we are ‘stuck’ in the middle of America. We want to know ‘where you are coming from’ not only in the physical sense but psychological, spiritual, philosophical, theoretical (art) whatever. We want to engage our viewers in an international dialogue and need your help. So, in the spirit of ‘mail art’ we request your submissions and if this is a new art form for you please check out the following websites: www.mail-art.de; www.spareroom.org; www.zyarts.com

Please continue to send us your mail art. We will accept mail art until we hang the show the week of June 8th.

“Where are you coming from?” will open during the East End Arts District summer art walk, Friday, June 12^th from 5-9 pm. We will post video and images from the opening on our websites.

Show Dates: Thursday, June 11^th – Wednesday, July 8th

If you would like to participate, please click here for the pdf version of the prospectus above.

Instructions:

1. Create or attach your artwork to any 4”x6” heavy weight paper (140lb or above). No more than three entries per artist.
2. Sign and print name on the BACK only – and indicate the top with an arrow. The collectors will have a list of participating artists but will only find out the artist upon purchase.
3. Package your artwork carefully.
4. Please complete BOTH submission forms.
5. All unsold artwork will not be returned unless a 6”x9” self addressed and stamped envelope is included. Please attach the appropriate amount of post for the return of the work. For international participants, your work will not be returned unless you are able to attach American postage stamps. FeMail Box is not responsible for any lost or damaged artwork in the mail.

“Where are you coming from?”

c/o FeMail Box

1556 Florence Street

Aurora, CO 80010

USA

We appreciate your participation in this mail art project and will post all entries on the fe-mail box blogspot website as well as mail art back to all who send in entries.

FeMail Box is comprised of artists Theresa A. Anderson and Kim Harrell. You can join the ‘Fe-Mail Box’ Facebook group or follow us from here. For information about the artists please visit their individual sites http://theresaaanderson.blogspot.com; www.eastendarts.com; www.kimharrell.blogspot.com. To learn more about Aurora, Colorado: www.auroragov.org and www.eastendartsdistrict.org.