Greetings Citizens! Today I’m coming to you in my persona of CURATOR, as I once again venture into the weird and wild world of POSTAL ART! I’m pleased as a white-washed pig to announce the INCEPTION of THE MUSEUM OF POSTCARD ART!
What the hell is that? (I hear you mumbling through the microphone. You really need to be more careful…)
The Museum of Postcard Art is an everlasting and ever expanding monument to humans attempting to communicate with each other by the sending of words and images through some form of postal service. Because every game needs rules for it to be fun, this game, naturally, has rules, but I assure you that they are arbitrary and silly and destructive, so I’m not going against my personal, chaotic ethos by instituting them. Here are the rules to The Museum of Postcard Art:
- Each card officially entered into the “MUSEUM” must be able to fit into a 4 inch by 6 inch protective sleeve—the HOUSING for the physical museum itself. The museum, because I am relatively poor, is being kept in these cheap little photobooks, which have 24 “pages” and fit one image per page. This is probably the most ARBITRARY element of the game, as I could have picked 8.5 x 11 or 8 x 10 or 2 x 3 or any size as my base, and by excluding any postcards that are LARGER than 4 in. x 6 in., I am in fact excluding some of my favorite postcards that I own, but which are 5 x 7 inches in size! Regardless, all postcards included in the everlasting and ever expanding museum collection MUST fit in a 4 x 6 sleeve. If not, they don’t get in!
- The second criteria for inclusion in the collection, each postcard MUST make some indication that it was intended to be MAILED (such as a place for a stamp or an address or something similar.) This restriction disqualifies a great many FLIERS and cool adverts that I’ve collected over the years that ALMOST look like postcards but were probably not meant to be mailed from person to person. (The museum is celebrating the attempt at communicating something, a joke, a photo, a possible destination, a bit of art, etc…)
- BONUS POINTS are awarded (although these are worthless) if the postcard is handmade, modified, unique, or one-of-a-kind-artist made! I have received hundreds of objects in the mail over the years (as a member of the wacky INTERNATIONAL UNION OF MAIL-ARTST—and, yes, that’s a real thing!), so if I can FIND any of these unique, fascinating pieces, AND they fit in the sleeves, I will include them in the collection!!!
- DOUBLE BONUS POINTS are awarded if the piece has evidence that it ACTUALLY went through the post! Cancelled postage, vintage cards with lovely scrawled messages, etc., these elements make the postcard more THRILLING, as these cards have actually fulfilled their destiny (ORIGINAL destiny—their FINAL destiny is being incorporated into the everlasting and ever expanding MUSEUM OF POSTCARD ART!)
And them’s the rules! If you’d like to start a SATELLITE branch of The Museum of Postcard Art, send me a note, and I’ll get you an OFFICIAL MOPA SATELLITE certificate! (Fancy!!!)
Without further ados or adon’ts, here are the FIRST TEN ENTRIES in THE MUSEUM OF POSTCARD ART!!!
The MUSEUM of POSTCARD ART Book One—
(1) “Enchanted Forest” by Roger Tofte
(2) “Las Vegas” by Reno-Tahoe Specialty, Inc.
(3) “Las Vegas” by Reno-Tahoe Specialty, Inc.
(4) “Las Vegas” by Reno-Tahoe Specialty, Inc.
(5) “The Riviera Hotel and Casino” by Justine Hill
(6) “Las Vegas” by Buddy Moffet
(7) “Wet ‘N Wild” by Justine Hill
(8) “To the Disco (Unicorn Riding Triceratops)” by JEZKEMP
(9) “Doggo Lantern” by Hillary White
(10) “The Meteorologist” by MATTDIXONART
(11) “Own It” by Mary Counts
(12) “(Untitled – Do You Know This Man?)” by Richard F. Yates
(13) “Ode to Richard Powers” by Mark Counts
(14) “Your Worthless Civilian Life” by Mark Counts
(15) “Never Surrender” by Mark Counts
(16) “Untitled (XXX)” by The Crafty Hag
(17) “Untitled” by The Crafty Hag
(18) “Washington State Geoduck” by J. Boyd Ellis
(19) “Bigfoot in Oregon?” by Paul A. Lanquist
(20) “Seattle, Washington – Mermaid Monster” by Lantern Press
(21) “Blue Cream Flashback Olde Time Soda” by (no creator listed)
(22) “Birch Beer Flashback Olde Time Soda” by (no creator listed)
(23) “Shorewood Motor Inn” by (publisher name unreadable / no photographer listed)
(24) “What’s Your Sign?” by Mary G. Counts
The MUSEUM of POSTCARD ART Book Two—
(25) “Madame Blavatsky’s Garden Party” by Mark (The Shark) Counts
(26) “Judgement Day!” by Marghh! Counts
(27) “Pink Freud” by THESHIRTYURT
(28) “There is Always Time for Coffee” by Julia Henze
(29) “Revolutionary Women: Ruth Bader Ginsburg” by SHAGGYLOCKS
(30) “Is Your Cat Ready?” by ERIKAFLEA123
(31) “Cat Got Your Soul?” by OBINSUN
(32) “Robots Need Love, Too!” by RONANLYNAM
(33) “Jungle Spider” by GREENDEER
(34) “Classic Rat Fink” by AMERICANPOISON
(35) “Nothing in the Midst Of” by Richard F. Yates
(36) “More Human Than Human” by Dept. M & M
(37) “Say Cheese and Smile Pretty” by Marcia Rubin
(38) “Frankenstein” by SUPERFLYGECKOS
(39) “The Devil – XV Tarot Card – Baphomet” by NEMONS
(40) “Hail Satan (Zelda)” by Thomas Nunn
I have several more postcards scanned for the Museum, as of 2 July 2020. As soon as I get around to it, I’ll upload them HERE, too!!!
I am also hoping to , SOMEDAY, take the Museum on tour and show it to folks around the world (like an old-fashioned, traveling ODDITIES show—only without so much exploitation.) Although, I don’t like to fly, so I might not be able to show the Museum in places that I can’t drive to… Sorry. Either folks who want to see the collection but are on other continents can come to visit, or we can do a video meeting and I can show you the collection that way…
In addition, if you are interested in exchanging postcards (to “nominate” a card for THIS collection, just send me the card for consideration—you won’t get it back, unfortunately, because I’m collecting them, whether they get in or not) or if you want me to send YOU a postcard (perhaps so that you can start YOUR OWN branch of the MOPA), you can contact me by direct message (I’m @richardfyates on Twitter) or email (richardfyates [at] gmail.com!!!)
Later skaters!
—Richard F. Yates
(Primitive Thoughtician and Holy Fool)
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