Delights of Ephemera invites us to consider the significance of ephemera in the context of art exhibits and events. Readings, lectures, assignments and other activities cover topics including traditional and experimental forms of ephemera; ephemera collections; and the role of ephemera as historical document and work of art. The goal is for us to develop a sophisticated understanding of ephemera methods and strategies. As a group, we will brainstorm about formal and conceptual relationships and the different ways that a piece of ephemera can embody the content of the event it represents.
Within the wider parameters of the course, COVID-19 social distancing offers a unique opportunity to collaborate in a focused investigation of ephemera in the form of mail art. During the weeks of remote learning, we will read texts about historical uses of mail art; research mail-art collections in online databases; hold Zoom discussions as a class and in breakout clusters; and produce and maintain a regular practice of sending mail-art projects to each other.
The postal network—(ostensibly and ideally) private, democratic and reliable—has historically allowed artists to subvert institutional structures, restrictive conditions and/or oppressive regimes. By embracing the logistical and formal context of the mail, artists have discovered new ways of working—as will we. Our collective mail-art experiment is the central concern of this phase of the class.
- Teacher: Anne Thompson