Mail art no. 146

Painted envelope with layered abstract washes in pink, orange, yellow, and gray, addressed by hand to ‘The Spitter, 137 Leland Ave., Columbus, OH 43214,’ with two Christmas postage stamps in the corner.

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Typed poem titled ‘ODE DU 25’ on white paper with a handwritten note at the top, a pink brushstroke near the bottom, and a small pasted photo of two people in yellow hazmat suits.<br /><br />
<br /><br />
ODE DU 25<br /><br />
<br /><br />
sitting in the<br /><br />
washroom<br /><br />
squeezing<br /><br />
beans<br /><br />
she laughed<br /><br />
at the L.A.F.T.<br /><br />
in my lap<br /><br />
insulting the<br /><br />
Nation<br /><br />
with every<br /><br />
turn<br /><br />
of the page<br /><br />
I read,<br /><br />
ripped,<br /><br />
and wiped<br /><br />
<br /><br />
– John E 12/89

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Black-and-white graphic of a surreal face made from two rectangular photographic eyes forming glasses, with a simple line-drawn nose and mouth below; a purple stamped address reading ‘MUMBLES, P.O. Box 8312, Wichita, KS 67208’ appears along the left side.

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White envelope covered with handwritten notes in black and bright pink marker, including comments about making a ‘great little booklet’ and a description reading ‘Have a nize-daze at the French bread inferno,’ with visible folds and staples along the edge.

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Title

Mail art no. 146

Subject

Mail art

Description

Mail art piece, created by Mumbles, consisting of a white envelope that has a multi-color hand-painted face. The painted envelope has layered abstract washes in pink, orange, yellow, and gray, addressed by hand to ‘The Spitter, 137 Leland Ave., Columbus, OH 43214,’ with two Christmas postage stamps in the corner. The verso has a handwritten note in black and pink marker. The envelope contains a small piece of white paper with a black and white image on one side, and a short poem written by the mail artist on the verso. Mail, art recipient: John M. Bennett.

Creator

Mumbles

Source

State University of New York at Buffalo. Poetry Collection

Publisher

State University of New York at Buffalo. University Libraries

Date

1980-1989?

Contributor

Basinski, Michael

Bennett, John M.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). Contact the Poetry Collection for more information.

Format

image/jpeg

Language

eng

Type

Image

Text

Identifier

Mail Art The Poetry Collection Box #1

MA0146

LIB-PC001

Date Created

2006-04-05

Date Modified

2006-05-26

Is Part Of

Mail art. LIB-PC-001

Extent

24 x 11 cm

Medium

Paper (Fiber product)

Collection

Mail Art

Citation

Mumbles, “Mail art no. 146,” Digital Collections - University at Buffalo Libraries, accessed March 20, 2026, https://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/items/show/508.