The offical Postmarked "final bell"
May 20, 2010: Hello....The final promised donations are in, an the frand total for POSTMARKED this year was $3800! Thank you for all your donations and hard work! SEE YOU at the POST OFFICE!
Hello,
I am always amazed at the International response to Postmarked. This year we again received mail art from all over the world, from established as well as new mail artists. I was delighted at the sometimes whimsical, sometimes political, and always personal pieces that drifted in. Every one was admired and enjoyed by a vast number of people, including gallery guests and virtual guests. People asked many questions, and often I heard the excitement as they thought about creating something for next year themselves. I am so grateful to everyone who sends in work for this event!
A few statistics for this year: We received 490 pieces of mail art, and had 170 bidders (incuding online bidders). The mail art has almost all been distributed to the lucky high bidders, and almost all of the donations are in. We have already collected a little over $3000, and are waiting for an addional $1000 to come in, as people arrive to finish collecting their wins and donating their promised bids.
I posted the final bidding day photos and some miscellaneous photos below. We are all very pleased with the participation from friends and new friends all over the world. Any pieces that did not receive bids are available for a donation in the Claremont Forum's Thoreau Bookstore, next to the gallery. There are very few of these left now, as people are pleased to be able to have them.
Thanks to you, the mail artists, the volunteers, and the bidders, the Prison Library Project has happily received the donations from Postmarked 2010. I want to thank everyone. Especially the Village Postmark at 112 Harvard in Claremont who donates Box 303 every year AND takes extra care with our mail. If youare so inlcined, send them a note too! Le Pain Quotidienne, Helen Feller, Jan Wheatcroft, Mara Sanders, Mike Severin, Pat Evans, Marielena, Tony Banks, Rahcel McDonnell, and more and numerous donors of time and goods, made our event successful. The Jazz Standards provided the music for the reception, inspiring some of the guests to dance again this year. Thank you Rick Moore, for repairing the gallery post-postmarked 2010!
If I have left anyone's name out, please don't send me hate mail: I appreciated everyone so much. This project is one I am passionate about. I enjoyed every day that mail came, and enjoyed every gallery visitor who came in, gawked about, asked questions. I look forward to correspondence with any of you who wish to send mail art my way....and will reply to all. Cheers, cheers! Anne
Anne at the door to Postmarked 2010.
The offical Postmarked "final bell" 
Jan opens Harley's, and loves the collage inside.
Helga admires one of Jan's wins : Jenifer Zoellner's painted purse.
I am just starting to empty the 14 pieces I won. I am using my Cafe Press Tote bag to carry them home!
Guests wait patiently in line to pay their donations for their wins.
Volunteer Patty removing the staples from the envelopes - a tedious process with over 400 envelopes on the wall!
Anne rings the final bell at 5:00 Sunday March 14th, signaling the guests to step away from the bidsheets.
Early in the day, we have an unusal gallery guest.
Gallery volunteer Mike is hoping to be high bidder on this mail art by Anne.
Gallery guests contemplate their final bids. On the right is mail artist Mike Prinzi.
Some of the Claremont Forum crew gathering for a hello photo: Jan Wheatcroft, mail artist and Director of the Board, Barbara Heavin, Bookeeper for the Forum, Charlotte Cousins, Board member, and supporter Mara Sanders, who volunteers many hours for POSTMARKED annually.
Anne takes abreak from talking the guests' ears off about the mail art, and sits at the bidder sign up desk.
Gallery guests reading Richard Canard's work.
Mail artist Joe Messinger gives me a hard stare....
Gallery guests with Mike Severin's elephant mask.
Mail Artist Doug McGoon posing upon request with his entry.
Gallery guests
Gallery guest Marielena posts a bid.
Gallery guest admiring Jackie Gregosry's mail art torso.
Gallery guests MichaelRidder gladly models holds Kim Ridder's mail art (by Jackie Gregory) win while he waits for her.
Postmarked 2010: Entrance to the Claremont Forum's Community Gallery
Overall gallery view
The following photos are wall by wall, beginning with the walls on south-east side and going around the room...In the photo above, the camera is facing West. Entries that arrived after the entry deadline and installation are not represented in these photos, but are in the exhibition! I will post updated walls soon.
(Above photo)This is the wall where I post the mail art that for any reason has the art inside or on the reverse side of the postmarked side. These pieces often receive very high bids!
Richard (Canard), we dedicated practically a whole wall 
Pat, Mara, Mike, Doug, helping to organize before hanging.
Doug tries out the fangled lazer machine. We liked the portable wall lasers best though.
Anne installs the first piece...
Bottom row are the last entries to have arrived, so are not in the original photos posted for the gallery views.
