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Want to be in an art exhibit at Fort Myers Rauschenberg Gallery? All you need is a stamp, a postcard and a little creativity.

Thats the beauty of the new Postcards For Democracy exhibit, says renowned artist/musician Beatie Wolfe.

Its an exhibit inspired by the post office and democracy. But its also a democratic exhibit: Anyone can take part, no matter who they are or where they live.

You dont even have to be an artist.

We just wanted this to be as open and inclusive as possible, Wolfe says, and just have everyone and anyone that wanted to send a card. And whatever that card ended up being was great.

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"US Mail" by Denise Woodward, one of many postcard-art works featured in the "Postcards for Democracy" exhibit.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

Wolfe created the art project with singer/composer Mark Mothersbaugh of art-rock legends Devo.

The idea was to championthe U.S. Postal Service and its essential role during the 2020presidential election. Both Beatie and Mothersbaugh are longtime fans of the postal service, and the friendslove to collect stamps and send letters (and often art) through the mail.

It kind of inspired us, Mothersbaugh says. I think we were impressed when our government started talking about eliminating the post office which was something we just thought was an integral part of our democracy and something that was very important to keep alive.

The project started as a collective art demonstration supportingthe U.S. Postal Service, mail-in voting and the right to vote. But it eventually grew into much more than that.

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Artists/musicians Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo and Beatie Wolfe co-created the new "Postcards for Democracy" exhibit.(Photo: Ross Harris)

People from all over the world submitted postcards decorated with all sorts of topics: The 2020 election, of course. And the post office. And Trump. And Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. But also Black Lives Matter. Human kindness. Racism. Feminism. QAnon. Science. The environment.

And there were other, less political topics, too: A one-eyed alien holding its arms out for a hug. The leg lamp from A Christmas Story. A monkey astronaut declaring I dont wanna go to space! A sun rising over the planet Earth. And lots of Devo-themed art, including the bands famous energy dome hats and their slogan, Are we not men? We are Devo!

Moresubmissions are arriving every day, Mothersbaugh says.

We love the post office and we love what its about, he says. And it (the art project)just happened to coincide with what was happening at the time in the country.

But, you know, theres still things coming in today. We have new cards sitting on the table today. And theyre not talking about the election. Theyre talking about other things. Theyre about other aspects of human existence.

The Postcards For Democracy exhibit features decorated postcards from people around the world, including this one by Dan Opalenik.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

Thats why gallery director Jade Dellinger plans to change up the postcards in the world-premiere exhibit. At least twice during the shows three-month run, hell take down all the old postcards from their narrow shelves and replace them with an entirely new batch.

Dellinger expects that people who visit the gallery might be inspired to go home and create some art of their own, in fact. And those postcards might pop up later in the exhibit.

Its very much an ongoing thing," he says, "and were encouraging people to participate.

Wolfe and Mothersbaugh say theyve gotten sacks full of postcards for the exhibit, but they have no idea how many theyve collected. Thousands, they guess.

Its a bunch! Mothersbaugh says. Sorry, neither of us wanted to count.

Now about 1,000 of those postcards are being shown at Rauschenberg Gallery (Dellinger hasnt counted those either).

Wolfe says she's impressed with the creativity on display. The postcardscover a wide spectrum of the human experience and touch on some of the issues and feelings we've all had over the last year.

Its almost like this physical time capsule, a time portal in some ways, to whats been going on," she says. "I think its so wonderful that its being preserved in physical form in a very much digital age.

You look at those cards, and you see so many different facets of our collective human experience and identity, and I think thats whats really powerful about it. It feels very much like it represents what weve been going through.

Ron Logan's "Help Your Neighbor," one of many postcard-art works featured in the "Postcards for Democracy" exhibit.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

Mothersbaugh and Wolfe say they wanted to do what they couldto help something they love: The U.S. Postal Service.

We just wanted to bring an awareness, Mothersbaugh says. We werent hearing anybody speaking up for the post office, so we said, Well dang it, were gonna do it! Because we had many reasons to be thankful.

Dellinger loves the idea of making the postal service participants in the exhibit, as well.

Youre kinda challenging the postal service, he says. At the same time, youre sort of entertaining and being grateful toward them by allowing them to be art handlers.

The project started last year, but the Fort Myers show will be the first time the postcards have been shown in an art exhibit. The world premiere sprang from Dellingers long relationship with Mothersbaugh and Devo, the 2021Rock n Roll Hall of Fame nomineesbest known for their 1980 hit "Whip It."

Guy Adams' "The World," one of many postcard-art works featured in the "Postcards for Democracy" exhibit.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

Dellinger wrote the bands 2003 biography, We Are Devo, and he also worked with Mothersbaugh on a Tampa museum exhibit of his work. Theyd been talking about doing something for Rauschenberg Gallery, too, and then Postcards for Democracy happened.

Dellinger says hes impressed with the mountains ofpostcards that poured in after Beatie and Mothersbaugh announced the project last year.

They were getting thousands of postcards coming in the mail, and some people doing things daily and sending it to them, Dellinger says. And many people going to great effort and doing really clever, really beautiful, really wonderful artworks.

Sometimes it was a simple message, but many times it was a real labor of love that was trusted to the USPS letter carriers. And of course, everyone loved that idea.

The exhibit includes three authentic USPS stamp machines near the gallery entrance. For $1 in quarters, visitors can buy an art stamp featuring the exhibit logo anda drawing of Wolfe and Mothersbaugh.

Then theres the music Mothersbaugh contributed to the show: Seven hours of stream-of-consciousness organ music playing on a loop in the gallery.

Mothersbaugh who has a thriving career as a composer for TV, film and video games wrote and performed the song on an old home organ. He titled it The Most Powerful Healing Music in the World.

An anonymous piece featured in the "Postcards for Democracy" exhibit.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

The exhibit, he jokes, will do more than just entertain and enlighten visitors. You can go in and not only see all these cards, but you can come out healthier at the other end. I had the first clue when I had a cut on my finger. And while I was playing the music, I watched it heal.

Mothersbaugh and Wolfe have no plans to stop the art project anytime soon. Theyre continuing to accept postcards and might eventually show the exhibit elsewhere.

They hope it helps their beloved post office and spreads their mutual love of mail something Wolfe says helped her immensely during the pandemic.

Mail during lockdown, it was really the one thing that was keeping me sane, she says. I was just writing tons of letters and mailing art to people.

And a lot of people, it seems, love mail and the post office as much as they do.

We had no idea that it would get such an overwhelming response, Wolfe says. I think a big part of the whole project is just the joy of mail.

I think so many people have remembered how wonderful it is to make something and send it. Its so much more than just being a means to an end. It brings all this kind of joy.

The exhibit opened May 17, but its not too late to send your artwork through the U.S. Postal Service. In fact, Dellinger hopes that happens.

Its really a project that can truly be open-ended, hesays. Its really about continuing to participate in this ongoing kind of conversation thats happening.

To take part in the exhibit, make a postcard and mail it to 8760 Sunset Blvd., CA 90069-2206. For more information, visit postartfordemocracy.com.

Connect with this reporter:Email crunnells@gannett.com or connect on social media at Charles Runnells (Facebook),@charlesrunnells (Twitter) and@crunnells1 (Instagram).

What: Postcards For Democracy

When: Now through Aug. 8

Where: Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Florida SouthWestern State College, 8099 College Parkway S.W.,Building L, south Fort Myers.

Admission: Free

COVID rules: Masks and social distancing required

Info: 489-9313 orrauschenberggallery.com

Read or Share this story: https://www.news-press.com/story/entertainment/2021/05/18/fort-myers-exhibit-postcards-democracy-mark-mothersbaugh-beatie-wolfe/4869542001/

The rest is here:
Exhibit takes on U.S. mail, 2020 election. 'We love the post office,' says Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh - News-Press