Postcards From Home community exhibit ends May 29

Posted

Not long after the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” mandate was issued in Washington, postcards began slipping through the mail slot at 236 Taylor St., as artists of all ages responded to the Port Townsend School of the Arts’ call for creative messages of hope and resilience during this time of physical distance.

The Postcards from Home community exhibit features more than 200 creative expressions of postcard art now on display in the windows of the PtSA Grover Gallery and Northwind Arts Center, ranging from the heartfelt to whimsical, in media including watercolor, acrylic, pencils, fabric, collage and photography.

From now through May 29, the citizens of Port Townsend can enjoy this collection during their distancing strolls through town.

The variety of Postcards From Home will be preserved in a postcard-sized exhibition book of more than 200 pages, scheduled for release in early June, including each card front and selected messages from the postcards’ backs.

The book’s introduction by writer and photographer Kerry Tremain reads, “A postcard is an artifact from a distant place. It is not an email or a text message or a selfie … I hold the pen in my hand and begin writing on the stiff paper, pausing, trying to think what will make you smile or laugh.”

The keepsake book will be available through the PtSA Grover Gallery. Details on how to purchase, pick up or deliver the book will be announced based on the stay-at-home and distancing guidelines at the time of its release.

Also during June, the PtSA Grover Gallery will display 28 of the postcards in shadow-box frames, visible through the solo room window in the gallery, or by individual appointment.

This curated collection will be available for auction to raise funds for ongoing programming and scholarships at the Port Townsend School of the Arts, with details to be announced later.

Throughout the pandemic, the PtSA has continued to offer workshops and classes online, including Art Prompts for Kids, a free video series taught by PtSA faculty and available on the school website at PtArts.org.