“The Art is in the Mail” is the third installment of a new inspiration series, launched last Spring by Mohawk Fine Papers, to inspire and educate the design community. The piece is an ode to mail art that includes 6 separate components on 6 different Mohawk Elevated Collection papers. The Elevated Collection is comprised of papers made from cotton and premium fibers for artful, elevated stationery and letterpress. Traditionally used in stationery and letterpress, these papers lend a sense of permanence and gravitas to art and print design, pairing beautifully with embellishments such as embossing, engraving, and foil. And what better way to demonstrate Elevated papers’ inherent sophistication and sociability than using them to make mail art.
And what exactly is mail art? Explains Casey Allen, Marketing Director at Mohawk: “Mail art is kept alive through any exchange of art whether it be a painted envelope, an artistamp, or the addition of collage to a postcard or other correspondence via post. Art in the mail is ultimately accessible to anyone who can afford the postage stamp, open to the artist’s interpretation, and a delight for the recipient to open… “We hope that ‘The Art is in the Mail’ inspires people to look at paper and post differently and to elevate their everyday correspondence.”
By way of background, in October 2021 Mohawk Fine Papers introduced Paper With a Plan: A new attribute-driven approach to specifying paper. To that end, Mohawk refined and reorganized its paper portfolio into five distinct Collections that help make choosing paper by its properties and attributes easier. Mohawk’s paper grades are now grouped into the Beautiful, Sustainable, Expressive, Elevated, and Practical Collections. The first edition in this series, “Make a Memory,” tells the story of Lost Art Salon, a San Francisco-based gallery specializing in the rediscovery of historically significant artists who have been lost to time, on paper from Mohawk’s Beautiful Collection. The second edition in this series, “The Material is the Message,” represents the Sustainable Collection by telling the story of a different installation, dwelling, sculpture, object, or other artifact that is created using alternative materials or methods. And, as noted above, “The Art is in the Mail” is installment number three of the series.
“The Art is in the Mail” was designed by Hybrid Design of San Francisco CA and printed by The Occasions Group of Mankato MN. To receive the Elevated Collection inspiration piece, contact your Mohawk Representative or if you do not have a Mohawk Representative, you can request or order these resources online through mohawkconnects.com.
