A unique exhibition celebrating the underground world of correspondence art recently took place at Squirrel Haus Arts, showcasing over 1,000 pieces of mail art collected since 1972. The three-day event, titled "Decades of Mailing It In," ran from October 10-12 and highlighted a subversive art movement that has been thriving through the postal system for decades, predating even punk culture.

The exhibition was organized around the extensive collection of Musicmaster, a Richfield-based mail artist who has been collecting correspondence art for more than five decades. His collection includes approximately 40,000 pieces of mail featuring everything from punk zines and Dadaist visual poetry to collages and materials from the Church of the SubGenius. The walls displayed 8.5-by-11-inch samples representing significant underground movements that have used the postal system as their primary medium.

"Mail art was part of the nascent boom in zine culture," Musicmaster explained. "It predates punk." This art form operates on a unique philosophy that emphasizes participation and exchange over profit. As one New York-based mail artist known as The Sticker Dude noted during a panel discussion, "You apply by joining and join by applying. Mail art is a utopian practice—it's people participating, cooperating, and exchanging without worrying about money."

For many practitioners, the process holds more significance than the final product. Greet-O-Matic, a collage correspondence artist, described his approach: "It all goes back to my love of getting things in the mail as a kid—collecting cereal box tops, sending them off, and getting a prize. The process is very much one of clearing my head." He often enters such a flow state while creating and mailing pieces that he doesn't even remember what he's sending to people's mailboxes.

Correspondence artist Allison Anne discovered the movement through family heirlooms of old letters before learning about the broader mail art tradition. "I get kind of culty when I talk about mail art," she admitted. "It really changed my life." Anne noted that many people independently discover mail art, thinking they've invented the practice themselves, only to find excitement in discovering others who share their passion for mailing unusual items.

The exhibition created an immersive experience that felt like entering a secret society. Visitors encountered pseudonymous artists, secret networks, and Dadaist codes covering the walls. At the center of the back room, an antique perforator allowed mail artists to create "artistamps"—personalized postage that serves as a kind of signature for mail artists. A large table invited patrons to create their own collages, encouraging hands-on participation in the art form.

The international scope of mail art became evident through stories shared by participants. Greet-O-Matic recounted correspondence that crossed the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, where artists would mark envelopes to detect whether state censors had opened them. This global network of artists has maintained connections across political boundaries through the universal medium of postal mail.

The secretive nature of mail art adds to its appeal for practitioners. As Musicmaster explained, "[My legal name] is just some guy, but Musicmaster is the person you see in your mailbox." A woman in a postal service uniform handed out slips asking visitors to record recurring dreams for live interpretation the following day. When asked if she was a real letter carrier, she responded cryptically: "Do you mean in here, or in real life?"

The exhibition coincided with growing interest in postal communication as an alternative to digital interaction. This renewed appreciation for physical mail comes at a time when the United States Postal Service celebrated its 250th anniversary on July 26, highlighting the enduring relevance of postal services in an increasingly digital world. The mail art movement represents a form of resistance to commercialized communication, creating networks of exchange based on creativity rather than commerce.

Visitors to the exhibition were encouraged to participate actively in the mail art tradition. The interactive elements included creating collages that would subsequently enter the mail art network, ensuring that new participants became part of the ongoing circulation of artistic correspondence. This participatory approach reflects the democratic nature of mail art, where anyone can join simply by sending and receiving creative postal communications.