Curious Things

Some fuzzy views of the new "interactive area" in the foyer of the Curious Things exhibition in Special Collections, MMU, Manchester. There's a rubber stamping table to add to your free stamp card/ exhibition guide etc. A bowler hat post box in memory of W. Reginald Bray and a section to stick your artworks. Here some students from fine art history department are having fun with the stamps. Thanks to Sophie for the photos.#mmucuriousthings

CURIOUS THINGS Open Evening

Nice but somewhat stressful evening at PV at Special Collections in Manchester. Went on train and met up with Rick Cox and Allison, Tony and Pene Eve, Mark Pawson in the Benzie cafe for a chat and quick look round the dissapointing MA show. Then over to library and SC for a mingle with gathered throng. Staff there had pulled out all the stops and provided lots of drink and hospitality. I had to read Roger Stevens poem out as it was National Poetry Day which was slightly embarrassing but managed it and even got a round of applause. Hazel read her speech as did the head of Special Collections - Anneka? Mark P. gave us a potted history of the mail art movement from Fluxus to the 90's. Great to see Russ Columbo turn up from Fife in Scotland who I hadnt seen for over 50 years! Also amazed to see Jennifer Williams from London on a day excursion just to see the exhibition! Also there were Charlie Holt, some assorted staff and ex-staff of MMU nd even a few students. Chatted to several poeple who I didn't know but seemed intrigued by it all which was nice. A friend of Keith Bates. A man from the Victorian Envelope Club? One man who said his friend makes painted postcards and would be sure to tell him so he could send me one. Quite an evening and very tiring - trudged back through wet Manchester streets to the train station and home

More Tweaking at Curious Things

Nice day depsite the drizzle in Manchester again to sort out the vitrines and print some labels etc. Also made sketch of where everything was in the mailed objects cabinet and did a diagram and key to find everything which will be added to wall. Hazel printed more labels with her Victorian rubber stamp set. The invites are printed and look very nice. Posters look amazing! More soon! #mmucuriousthings

Curious Things install

2nd day of install at Special Collections, MMU in Manchester. Hazel and myself sorting out lots of cabinets ( we need more!) and directing framing of posters, artistamps, postcards etc. One of the biggest, if not the biggest overview of the mail art scene in the UK. To be opened on 25th September ( PV 3rd October ) through to April 2002. #mmucuriousthings

Mail Art All Boxed Up

Piles of boxed up mail art archive ready for the MMU van to come and pick it up. Glad to see the back of it for a while. Still two thirds of the archive in the coal shed. Hazel pretending to be overwhelmed by the task! They are re-surfacing the road outside so will be fun trying to load the MMU van tomorrow if workmen are still laying the tarmac! #mmucuriousthings

Manchester Degree Shows

Nice train ride into Manchester for the annual degree shows at Interactive Arts and Fine Art, Sculpture etc. Some good work by the students this year. Had breakfast in the station Carluccios - salmon , scrambled egg on toasted ciabatta - yum! A pre-birthday treat! Luckily the awful weather of recent days was absent and we even got a good comfortable train both ways. Wow, miracles do happen! Also saw the folk at Special Collections for the mail art exhibition we are sorting for September. They all seem keen on the idea and had some good ideas about the flyers, poster and other publicity bumph we will need. Got the 4-40 train back.

Mail Art Sorting

More mail art sorting for proposed exhibition at Special Collections in 2019. Steph, who is in charge of SC came over for lunch and looked through some of what we had sorted and tried to get an idea of the task involved in looking through 40+ years of correspondence and finding out more about it. At the moment putting the regular correspodants into zip lock files. When they have outgrown them they go into a box file. Art Nahpro ( Paul Jackson ), Mark Pawson , Eric Finlay, John Evans and Michael Scott have their own box file and close behind are Creative Thing, Ed Giecek, Mark Greenfield, Vittore Baroni etc.