2008 Woodie Awards
The Envelope Collective: art traveling as snail mail
Tye Harris
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Did you ever think envelopes or the postal service could be used as a form of art? Two graduates from Oberlin College did, and from that idea sparked The Envelope Collective.
The Envelope Collective, started by Garrett Miller and Adam Morse, is a website to which individuals can send homemade artistic envelopes. The various decorated envelopes are then posted on the website.
Miller and Morse met at Oberlin College in 2003 where they were both art majors. The idea for the website came to the two in 2005 while they were still students, and from there the project took off. In late November of that year, the website launched and the site had 23 visitors the first day.
By Apr. 11 of 2006, the website had their 300th submission. In August of 2006, a third member, who is just known as Chris on the site, joined the project and the website then had three addresses to send submissions too. The website upgraded their services, offering things such as viewer commenting. By January 2007, the team gained yet another member, Ophelia Chong.
The Envelope Collective receives artistic envelopes and letters from around the globe. Envelopes from 33 different countries have been sent in, and 37 U.S. states are represented. From Santa Clause's letter from the Arctic Circle to submissions from places such as Singapore, Russia and India, The Envelope Collective continues to receive creative snail mail in their boxes.
The website states, "Anything you create will be the most amazing thing ever. Don't be afraid, be creative!" Mailers are encouraged to send in whatever they please. The site has received things such as a "Things I ate today" list, drawings from elementary school classes, and Polaroids. Just like most websites, The Envelope Collective has frequent submitters. One individual has sent in 135 different items.
The website also adds some comic relief to their ongoing project. Humorous side comments from the creators can be found throughout the site, keeping the project light, fun, and creative. The website has a "Talk" section for viewers to comment on message boards, but as the website states, there are "no jerks allowed." There is also a store that offers T-shirts.
A portion of the proceeds from the store goes to ONE.org, an organization working to end poverty. There is also a section titled "Extra" in which musicians, other websites, and websites of submitters are listed.
If you'd like to join the hundreds of submitters who have already mailed things in, visit www.envelopecollective.com. The "Submit" section can answer all the questions you may have about sending in your parcel.
The Envelope Collective, started by Garrett Miller and Adam Morse, is a website to which individuals can send homemade artistic envelopes. The various decorated envelopes are then posted on the website.
Miller and Morse met at Oberlin College in 2003 where they were both art majors. The idea for the website came to the two in 2005 while they were still students, and from there the project took off. In late November of that year, the website launched and the site had 23 visitors the first day.
By Apr. 11 of 2006, the website had their 300th submission. In August of 2006, a third member, who is just known as Chris on the site, joined the project and the website then had three addresses to send submissions too. The website upgraded their services, offering things such as viewer commenting. By January 2007, the team gained yet another member, Ophelia Chong.
The Envelope Collective receives artistic envelopes and letters from around the globe. Envelopes from 33 different countries have been sent in, and 37 U.S. states are represented. From Santa Clause's letter from the Arctic Circle to submissions from places such as Singapore, Russia and India, The Envelope Collective continues to receive creative snail mail in their boxes.
The website states, "Anything you create will be the most amazing thing ever. Don't be afraid, be creative!" Mailers are encouraged to send in whatever they please. The site has received things such as a "Things I ate today" list, drawings from elementary school classes, and Polaroids. Just like most websites, The Envelope Collective has frequent submitters. One individual has sent in 135 different items.
The website also adds some comic relief to their ongoing project. Humorous side comments from the creators can be found throughout the site, keeping the project light, fun, and creative. The website has a "Talk" section for viewers to comment on message boards, but as the website states, there are "no jerks allowed." There is also a store that offers T-shirts.
A portion of the proceeds from the store goes to ONE.org, an organization working to end poverty. There is also a section titled "Extra" in which musicians, other websites, and websites of submitters are listed.
If you'd like to join the hundreds of submitters who have already mailed things in, visit www.envelopecollective.com. The "Submit" section can answer all the questions you may have about sending in your parcel.
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