Fashion Designer Agosto CuellarSan Antonio, Texas Q&A with San Antonio based international sustainable fashion designer Agosto Cuellar of Jive Refried coming soon! Very special package from The Courrier mail art gallery ready for delivery to a dear friend. We can’t wait to see what you do with this hodgepodge of materials, Agosto!
(view one project above and one below which he utilized some of these materials for thus far.)
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Initiative Founded By Dream A DreamIndia A Giftartists K. Day and Aiden Gamez, age 10 mixed media acrylic, ink, textiles, vintage silk, magazine, color and textured paper, sequins, rhinestones and glitter on 22x30” watercolor paper circa 2020 San Antonio, Texas - America We at The Courrier are taking part in the What If Initiative from Dream a Dream, India + Art Flute gallery and we'd like to encourage others around the globe to participate. What would you like to see become the “new normal” for the education system in your part of the world? It all starts with a #whatif . Stratosphereartists K. Day and Aiden Gamez, age 10 mixed media acrylic, ink, textiles, vintage silk, magazine, color and textured paper, sequins, rhinestones and glitter on 22x30” watercolor paper circa 2020 San Antonio, Texas - America Ten Thousand Wishesartists K. Day and Aiden Gamez, age 10 mixed media acrylic, ink, textiles, vintage silk, magazine, color and textured paper, sequins, rhinestones and glitter on 22x30” watercolor paper circa 2020 San Antonio, Texas - America
The Courrier's youngest founder, Aiden (age 10, autistic) just picked out his backpack for school return from distanced learning during this time of global pandemic from independent Brazilian artist Gabi Freitas via her company Bøb’s Backpacks️. She’s launching a project soon in which children have the opportunity to create their own backpack design.The ones which are selected will be manufactured and the proceeds will go to underprivileged children for school supplies. Aiden will definitely participate and The Courrier nonprofit international mail art gallery will be boosting and sharing as much as possible. So stay tuned as the story unfolds---we'll be covering the developments to be sure. Thank you to Gabi Freitas for sending along a little original painting surprise and hand written note for Aiden as well. It all made him feel very special.
We are partnering with SP in the belief that our community can come together and help make their brick and mortar location come to fruition. Or contact the Spare Parts team directly for more information. Q&A with Founder and Executive Director, Mary Elizabeth CantúQ: What will it mean for Spare Parts and for the community to have a brick and mortar location? A: "As a brick and mortar location, we would be the only resource of its kind in San Antonio. Spare Parts would be your destination for preloved materials and our inventory would be constantly changing because it relies on the reusable treasures of our town. And don't forget our prices will be very reasonable." Q: Where will it be located? A: "We hope to find a space inside Loop 410. So far this is our only requirement." Q: How will your classes run differently in light of the current pandemic? A: "Like other organizations, we've moved to an online platform. It's definitely been a learning curve..." Q: Are there openings for volunteers, instructors and store employees? A: "Right now we are signing up volunteers for when we need to set up the store, take materials donations, sort these supplies and stock them. To volunteer please email our coordinator Laura Kraus: [email protected]." Q: Who do you feel a physical location helps most and why is it important to provide one to the local community; ie, what are the biggest differences from other art shops? A: "Having a physical location most importantly assists with waste diversion. We accept what others don't need anymore and provide it to the creative and artistic community (parents, artists, students, families and you!)." Get to know Spare Parts:
As quoted directly from the SP website - "The concept behind Friends of Spare Parts dba Spare Parts was developed in 2010 by Founder and Executive Director, Mary Elizabeth Cantú, as a response to the lack of arts funds and resources in PreK-12 classrooms. In 2018 Spare Parts became a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization through the Friends of Spare Parts. Spare Parts believes partnership and programs centered on creative reuse practice builds smart, lasting and win/win initiatives. Professional Development Program (RE-Edu), Creative Reuse Education Program (RE-Mix), Spare Parts Exhibitions/Long-term projects (RE-Create) are a few of the creative reuse focused programs and resources offered regularly. As a result, Spare Parts is creating a pathways to reducing landfill tonnage. Spare Parts inspires and supports the growing San Antonio creative community and our classrooms through environmental accountability. Sustainability, affordability and accessibility to the arts through reuse education is paramount." THEIR CORE VALUES "To support cultural and environmental sustainability; to provide affordability and accessibility to the arts; to offer community education; and to foster creativity, green-style." So, what are their plans??? "To increase reuse and sustainable practices. Through programing, education and physical development, Spare Parts empowers citizens to reduce landfill tonnage through reuse and environmental accountability." Strwberry Jean MagazineIssue 1: Pearl’s Letter Rhode Island We have to give big love to the kids who put this magazine together. It’s wonderful to watch them grow and flourish, and even better to see them lend their voice and profits to the BLM and Lebanon’s Red Cross teams and intensive care units. ~ Please take a moment to read below for the full scoop.
My View From HomeMail Art Project by Jason Brown Nashville, Tennessee Of all the mail art projects out there in the world, Jason Brown's "My View From Home" was the first one to inspire us the most to create our own mail art project + virtual gallery. One could almost say that The Courrier might not exist without Jason's positive influence. His was the first mail art project that all three of our founding members participated in as an institution and more importantly, as a family.
The TIME Magazine article featuring Jason Brown's My View From Home Mail Art project, June 2020. In an interview with Nashville's Channel 5 News, Jason further explains. You can view that segment here.
It is on that note that we here at The Courrier nonprofit international mail art project would like to thank Jason Brown for all that he has done, from creation to building to engaging to publishing to archiving and finally giving back above and beyond to the artists who helped make My View From Home Mail Art an important contribution to our world history. We are so humbled to have participated and to have received. Our contributions to the project directly from The Courrier by artists K. Day, Joe A. Gomez III and Aiden Gamez, age 10. We encourage you to follow My View From Home on Instagram and to visit the website. For, as Jason says, "all you need is your imagination and a stamp."
BYoung Fine ArtsShanghai, China
You can view the full first episode above.
The Black Lives Matter Online Exhibition hosted by BYoung Fine arts can be viewed in its entirety above.
3. Rise artist K. Day acrylic on 8.5x11” recycled card stock circa 2020 4. Creme series Quarantine Daydream artist K. Day acrylic, wall paper and magazine collage on 5x8” postcard circa 2020 5. In You, I See Me artists K. Day and son, Aiden Gamez, age 10 - autistic acrylic on 8.5x11” recycled card stock circa 2020 6. Still Here a collaboration between artist K. Day and 9 year old autistic son, Aiden Gamez mixed media textured collage and acrylic paint circa 2020 7. Substance series METAL artist K. Day mixed acrylic, foil and magazine collage on 11x11” card stock circa 2020 Please give BYoung Fine Arts a follow and check out their website to learn how to contribute, lend your voice and make a difference with your art.
Ex/Post MagazineAtlanta, Georgia
"We are trying to create the longest letter in the world as part of a crowd-sourced art exhibit, called "Dear Loneliness," which will double as a memorial to 2020, the COVID-19 quarantine, racial injustice, and everything else this year." If that doesn't get your attention, then this next bit should. The Harvard Economics Review is now backing the project by offering to publish the best letter sent in to the project by July 31. (see details in flyer below) That's a major boost for a fledgling Magazine and grass roots project, which we here at The Courrier have high hopes for. So much so, that we have proudly partnered with Ex/Post on their global project. Sister founders Jessica and Sarah Lao explain it best. "As part of an artistic installation, we seek to create the world's longest letter by compiling entries written by individuals like you about your frustrations, hopes, and experiences with isolation—connecting lonely people through art in the process. With your permission, your letters will be archived as both a record of the COVID-19 era and a crucial source of academic data for a poorly understood phenomenon. And yes, we will be breaking the Guinness world record letter length of 290 meters—three football fields or almost 1,000 sheets of A4 paper—together."
So, who exactly is Ex/Post Magazine and what is their mission statement? "We’re a nonprofit independent literary and arts journal dedicated to the frontier of experimentation. More than spotlighting the best art and writing the Internet can find, we want to be a refuge for underrepresented voices, topics, and art forms; in short, we believe that good art should be enjoyed by all, regardless of arbitrary boundaries like genre." -Sarah Lao, Editor in Chief And here is a final word on loneliness from the staff and Carissa Chen, who is also heavily involved in the project: If you are interested in writing a letter and playing a role in what is sure to be a major international social experiment and pertinent archival study of a shifting point in human history, click the button to submit. Likewise, visit Ex/Post magazine and the Dear Loneliness project sites and follow both on Instagram to keep up with the latest groundbreaking news to come. ~author K. Day
Man Fig. 1artist K. Day watercolor handmade by Alexandra McGowan circa 2020 Prompted by Virginia artist Alexandra McGowan’s Black Lives Matter donation drive, selling her handmade watercolor paint. 100% of the proceeds are going toward paying medical bills of those injured during the protests. The Courrier mail art gallery is proud to support and participate. Please follow Alex on Instagram and contact her to participate and/or donate. Promise
Shine Shine Shineartist K. Day acrylic, foil paper and magazine collage on 8.5x9” handwoven and foiled paper circa 2020 Made with love for Gianna Floyd. This beautiful artwork was sent to George Floyd's 6 year old daughter along with letters of love and encouragement over the loss of her father. It was a gift from the heart and it is our truest hope that it finds her will and reminds her of the beautiful queen she can become despite adversity, tragedy and the evils in this world.
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Our MissionOne of the biggest driving ideals behind The Courrier was to become a platform which gives back to various relevant social and environmental causes. Archives
September 2020
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