This is how it looked right after hanging!
Of course Cranberry Island welcomed Berry Maritime Mail Art with open arms. About 50 turned up for the opening event and many more (islanders and trippers) came through during the week. People are still stopping me on the road to tell me how much they enjoyed looking at the mail art and how it got them thinking differently, or about things they might do with their own communities. People who missed the event tell me the facebook posting was great! Phew, I often wonder if I am either barraging people with unwanted stuff, or blogging into the abyss.
Poet and educator, Michael Glaser, and I talked about how taking part in something like this, or when young people's work is collected into an anthology, provides them with possibility. They begin to see themselves differently… One of my UK school teacher friends caught sight of the mail art - how could she miss it - and wants to get her students involved.
Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera to the opening event and what with the hustle and bustle of 18 for dinner for two weeks, I never quite made it back to photograph again, so apologies for any inferior shots. More work arrived after the first hanging so don't despair if you can't make out your work… I hung everything I received and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!
The Ipswich Suffolk hanging takes place next Wednesday, just in time for Maritime Ipswich! Send anything last minute to my UK address. I will scan and blog all that has arrived there, when I get over my jet lag, later next week.
