What is The M.A.R.S. Project...

The M.A.R.S. (Mobile Arts Road Show) Project began in June of 2005 and is dedicated to bringing Art to the streets and parks of southwest Washington. Contributors are encouraged to send objects (postcards, prints, collages, decorative electrical plates, mutant photography, or whatever) to:

The M.A.R.S. Project
2808 Florida Street
Longview, WA 98632
USA

There are no theme or size restrictions, although things that are flat and not-too-big are easier to scan... If what you send it too big or too oddly shaped to scan, I'll just photograph it instead... I put all contribution onto the blog site, and, in addition, I take the project out into the hills and valleys of the Pacific Northwestern area of the United States on occasion and let the community around here have a taste of what mail-art is about. There are very few galleries within 50 miles of Longview, WA (the M.A.R.S. head-quarters) and the galleries we do have are rather conservative in nature, so most of the indigenous population has never heard of mail art or Ray Johnson or Fluxus or the Situationists... I feel it's my job to bring these things to the area and let the locals know how fun and how flexible "Art" can be...

In the last year The M.A.R.S. Project has received contributions from over 50 artists and from all the continents but Antarctica... I'm still waiting for something from there... And, although I've been a little lax in my updating lately (I'm working on a Master's Degree at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon along with my curatorial duties) the project is alive and well and the next outdoor excursion is currently in the works. I'll post an update on the blog as soon as the plans are crystalized.

Meanwhile, feel free to check out the contributions below and send in your own artwork! No judges, no competition... Whatever you send goes into the exhibit! (And, I should restate, becomes property of the The M.A.R.S. Project archive... But that's not such a bad thing, is it???)

Any questions, feel free to send me an email at:
replicant8@yahoo.com

Thanks!
Rick Yates
The M.A.R.S. Project Curator / Archivist...

Updated... FINALLY!

After about six months, I finally found the time to update the site! It took a couple days, but we're completely current and ready to RAWK!!!

Pam Chatfield. A fun postcard with some curious little guys on it!

Pam Chatfield.

Travis Sandoval. A handmade postcard.

Travis Sandoval. The other side.

Heidi Jo Triplett. A contribution from a former Longview resident!!!

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett. A personal correspondence... (b.t.w., my Dad does go by "Rowdy Yates," although his real name Roy Dean... And, yes, he was Rowdy BEFORE Gunsmoke!!!)

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett. An "add to and pass." (Has anyone ever done a "subtract from and pass???" That might be interesting...)

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett. (Unfortunately, this one has already expired... The main problem associated with not promptly posting contributions!!! Sorry about that. I'll work on it...)

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett. A local eatery that is open for breakfast and lunch (if you get up before noon...)

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett. Stickers...

Heidi Jo Triplett.

Heidi Jo Triplett. A little sticker of a big mustachio!

Serendipity. A USPS experiment... For some perverse reason, I think this is pretty cool. It may not be a "one-of-a-kind" object (although it could be, if you only send one card per image) but it's still an interesting idea...Like having your own postcards printed on demand!

Serendipity.

Laura Barletta. It's always a pleasure receiving an item from Laura. If you scroll down to her last contribution there is a link to her site. I HIGHLY recommend checking it out!

Laura Barletta. The other side.

Jesse Edwards. A new package of found objects, interesting prints, and text experiments from the Jesarchives.

Jesse Edwards. The back of the envelope... or the front... Could be either one...