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This history of mail art, snail mail and Visual Arts Brampton is currently a work in progress, as we dig through old files and the depths of our memories to figure out what was what.

Then-member Susan Williamson brought to our attention the well-established mail art movement, suggesting Artway hold its own international show. Inducted onto the Visual Arts Brampton Board of Directors, Susan began organizing 1999's Great Canadian Mail Art Show. Through just a few postings in e-mail mail art newsletters, and printed pamphlets within the GTA, the show drew 800 entries. Any more than that wouldn't have fit in the Artway Exhibit Space cases, then at Bramalea City Centre.

In the year 2001, VAB offered the show to the Art Gallery of Peel, who gladly adopted it. Retitled it's in the mail..., the show drew in entries from even more countries and more artists. Because it was display in a gallery, rather than the relatively narrow cases of Artway, it was able to hold more exotic submissions. In that category were decorated egg cartons, and a metal sculpture, 3 feet tall. However, the show was eventually deeped too much work for the results, and thus abandoned.

In late-2003, VAB Youth Member and high school student Nicholas Moreau suggested the show be revived, as he brainstormed with group President Keith Moreau, searching for new shows to add to the next year's schedule. Now that Artway Gallery was in Shoppers World, it seemed even more relevant to have a world-wide exhibit. Instead of "mail art", which many artists don't what it is, why not "postcard art"? The variant idea was introduced with the term "snail mail", describing the speed to postal delivery compared to e-mail, as a relatively witty title to the concept. This also instantly provided a mascot for the exhibit, the Mail Snail. Thus, the Snail Mail Postcard Art Show was born.

Despite a large blitz on related posting boards and forum, to drum up attention and entries, the 2004 show was only a moderate success. Even in the last weeks before the deadline, it was doubtful if the exhibit would even have enough entries to happen, leaving organizers scrambling to establish an alternate show for the space. To try and fill the expected gaps, VAB set up youth drawing tables in Shoppers World, and even had some of its adult artists doing free portraits for mall patrons. The final exhibit was generally successful, filling out cases with over 600 entries.

With the .

This show continues in the traditions of the past, by encouraging artists of all talents and styles, from every corner of the world, to enter in the show.

The Snail Mail Show continues to be one of the most accessible art shows run by a small NGO*-gallery, being offered in mutliple languages. This years' site is available in English, Arabic, Italian, and Spanish; last year's was offered in Albanian, Dutch, German, Romanian, Russian, Ukranian.

Entrants 2005 - 2004
Entrants' towns 2005 - 2004
Entrants' mediums 2005 - 2004
Awards winners
Statements 2005 - 2004

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