About the project

My BFA project is about correspondence. It started out that I just wanted to do prints and collages based on different letters and pieces of mail that I and my family have saved. I have always been drawn to the formal qualities of packages, envelopes, and handwritten notes. Also I've always been fascinated by the fact that a letter is somewhat romantic and mysterious- you don't know where it travels, or how many people touch it between you and the person you are sending it to. After thinking about these ideas of correspondence and talking to my advisor, I decided it would be more interesting to include actual correspondences in part of project. I did not want to destroy any of my family's old letters or any of the personal letters/cards that I have received, so I decided to send out postcards to people asking them to correspond with me. I liked the idea of sending art through the mail and seeing how it changes and for the fact that some of those who cannot come to my show will be able to see part of it. I also liked the idea of having part of my project be a collaboration.

Here is an excerpt from my project proposal:

With the prevalence of technology in our world today and the ease of e-mail, the concept of mail and the letter has changed. Everyday I check my mail with anticipation that there will be something more than junk mail in my box—usually I am disappointed.

I have chosen to work with the idea of correspondence because I am fascinated by the perception of the letter, both past and present. I am interested in the symbolism tied to letters, cards, postcards, envelopes, stamps, and packages and the emotional responses these objects create. I am attracted to type and handwriting not only for its content but as an image itself and what it can portray without being read. I am drawn to the idea of written correspondence as a relic; its ability to carry a piece of one person or place to another. An envelope or stamp is able to describe details that verbal communication or an e-mail could not. I am fascinated with many people’s compulsion to collect and compile letters, cards, notes, and even junk mail— perhaps preserving their own personal history.

Through my prints and collages I hope to examine the role of the letter as a means of personal expression, preservation, and narrative. By basing my images on mail that I have collected as well as creating a new set of correspondences, I will trace pieces of my own past while exploring the ideas of travel, narrative, delivery, and communication.