Post Modern Post: International Artistamps
February 14 - April 27, 2003
Curated by Harley
The Sonoma County Museum presents Post Modern Post: International Artistamps (February 14 -April 27, 2003) an international survey of Mail Art and Artistamps, curated by Sonoma County artist, Harley. Featured is a broad range of rare and original examples of Mail Art such as elaborately designed envelopes, stamps, postmarks - all the elements related to the act of correspondence, created by artists from around the globe. This exhibition is held in conjunction with Museum Story: From Past to Future, interpreting the postal theme in relation to the Museum’s long history as a post office.
The curator of this exhibition, Harley, is a leading figure in the genre of Mail Art. Working from country of his own invention, "Terra Candella," he has been an active member of the Artistamps community since its inception in the 70s.
Harley explains, "Long lived is the lowly postage stamp! Sir Rowland Hill first confined Queen Victoria to the ultimate in miniature art in 1840, when he gave England the first postage stamp.fter over 150 years, the vitality of the medium continues to grow. Instead of being outmoded by the advance of technology, the postage stamp has absorbed each new technical advance to produce a new manifestation of itself.
The merging of philately and the avant-garde in the fine arts of the 20th Century has created the opportunity for a unique and rich dialogue. This dialogue has involved a fascinating array of personalities ranging from Czeslaw Slania (the world’s foremost stamp engraver) to Ray Johnson (a founding father of Mail Art, the genre in which Artistamps have flourished), Michael Bidner (the Canadian artist who coined the term "Artistamp") and the hundreds of artists, both known and obscure, who have made Artistamps."
About the curator
Harley, a leading figure in the Mail Art and Artistamps genre is also an accomplished painter whose works have been exhibited internationally. A graduate of Indiana University, Harley has a broad-based career in the arts including curatorial projects and theatre set design. His works are published widely and reside in many distinguished public collections. He lives in Sonoma County.
