August 24, 2022
In 2022, the idea of the postcard is nostalgic and romantic; we’re used to sharing our paths both emotionally and geographically, we have the power to do this at the palm of our hand whenever the moment feels right. These little cards are a relic of a different time, but still are powerfully symbolic of travel, of adventure, of the people we leave behind and the messages we wish to share with them as we embark on our journeys, be they fleeting or forever.
At MICA, we have hosted the Postcard Project for years as part of the welcome to campus for our incoming class, annually recognizing that this moment is always filled with so many emotions and experiences: firsts of every kind, information overload as you map your schedules and new landscapes, and a new appreciation for all the things that came before, that led you to this very moment in the here and now. This year, our prompts were as diverse as our incoming class. We asked you to either show us the social or political change that you’re fighting for, to invent a mascot for MICA, or, to contemplate what is home? While each of these prompts might seem unconnected, where there is overlap is the complexity that gets packed into these simple little cards as they become platforms for our dreams and wishes, to share the sights and thoughts, tastes, smells, adventures, or causes, places, and longings that we navigate on our journeys from one place to another, offering the people we've left behind a window into the worlds we're now building.
The works on view in this collection are in every way a beginning. They are symbols of the complexity that exists within us all: the simultaneous homebody and activist and child and fearless explorer. They are a reminder of the power of words and images, the impact of small gestures, and the need we have to share and connect, across time and place.
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Participating artists: AJ Mallon Gravely, Alexa Baldinger, Anabelle Torres, Anan Haque, Anjali Hewitt-Sloane, August Cole Gorton, Avery Sim, Brianne Garofalo, Cat Jones, Cate Van Luven, Chen Nuo, Cice Huang, Claire Chung, Denyah Harewood, Dhanviee Misra, Emily Radune, Garret Wishnick, Ile Park, Isaiah Hopkins, Jamison Brauer, Jaydee Reveron, Julia Gilmore, Juniper Walsh, Kanaan Jefferson, Kay Addotta, Kiara Patel, Matt Freeman Matthews, Matthew Chi, Nari Chance, Norah Plater, Rowan Blankemeyer, Sage Freed, Sam Eiken, Seongjae Kim, Shirley Kim, Si-Wei Huang, Simone Isip, Sofia Eichsteadt, Valeria Santana Silva, Wes Jordan, Zane Stoddard