address postcards to:

the global postcard project
po box 5381
gainesville, fl 32627-5381
usa

world list
total postcards received: 16 of 1500

iraq
tanzania
usa (13)
---arizona
---california (3)
---colorado
---florida (2)
---maine
---massachusetts
---ohio (2)
---texas
---vermont
---virginia

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scope and origins of the project

This idea popped into my head one morning after reading about a summer project some moms had done with the kids in their neighborhood; over the course of one summer, they talked to everyone they could think of who could send them a postcard from a distant state - they wanted one from each of the 50 states by summer's end.

This is a little bit like that idea on steroids.

My intention is to invite all who can and will, and this means you, to send a postcard to project headquarters from wherever you are, anywhere and everywhere in the world, be it at home or on vacation. Use the opportunity to write about any moment of beauty or meaning you are willing to share, either about yourself or your current geographical location. It can be a word (feel free to make one up if regular ones don't suffice), a phrase, a sentence, a poem, a paragraph, a dissertation (as long as it'll fit on the back of a postcard). Please be sure to include somewhere on the postcard the name of your city/county/township/province as well as the country you mailed your postcard from.

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Once I collect about 1500 postcards, my plan is to construct out of them a 3 foot/1 meter tall, circular curtain of about 20 foot/6 meter diameter, built to hang at about adult eye-level (so the bottom edge of the curtain hangs about 3 feet/1 meter off the floor. It would be designed to be viewed either from inside the circle (duck under the lower edge or walk through an archway/slit in the curtain to step inside and read the messages) or outside (walk around the outside circumference to look at the pictures on the front of each postcard). I would then submit this to galleries and competitions as a performance art piece in order to raise money to fund a charity promoting and fostering the building of global community peacefully and through compassion and respect (charity TBA - I'm open to suggestions as long as the organization is a registered non-profit in its home country. This information will be made available to the public before any fundraising occurs). Any prints or sales or prize monies awarded (I am ambitious and optimistic, yes) would be donated 100% to that charity, for as long as any money would roll in.

I am relying on the unique opportunity afforded by Iinternet communication to spread the word about this project as much as possible, and I'm hereby enlisting your help to get enough word-of-mouth notification going so that this project may eventually come to fruition. let's see where this goes. in a way, this, too, is part of the purpose of the gpp.

I am looking forward to reading about your dreams, hopes, goals, quiet moments of stillness, and maybe even the personality of your unique geographical location.

yours in wonder,

samara

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q & a

1. Do the postcards have to be in English?

No, nor do they need to include a translation if written in another language. Part of the project is recognizing our diversity and celebrating it. I'll be translating to check for content, but I will in no way alter the actual card you send me.

2. Are you still collecting postcards?

yes! as long as this page is up and the postcard count is below 1500 (or thereabouts), then you can still participate by sending a postcard.

3. Can I send something besides a postcard?

You were thinking of buying me something from my Amazon wishlist, maybe? Actually, I'm guessing you want to send a greeting card or something like that, and it's really better if you send a postcard. The construction of the final objet d'art is founded on the idea that there is a front and a back of a single piece of paper to look at, that is, the front and back of a postcard.

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legal issues and clarifications

In your message, please include only that information which you would want published and/or otherwise disseminated to the general public. By sending a postcard you indicate your understanding that I am the GPP Project Director, and you hereby grant me rights to use the message and or any information included on the postcard solely to construct and/or promote this project. You also waive any rights to sue me later for any reason associated in any way with this project. I reserve the right to exclude any postcard which I feel does not fit the technical parameters in some insurmountable way, or is inappropriate or counterproductive to the purpose of the project. Any materials rejected for technical reasons may be used in some other way to further the GPP. Materials rejected for impropriety will be destroyed, that is, NOT returned to you.

Thank you for your understanding.

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