‘MoMA Postcard’ Takes A 1950s Ritual Involving Mail Art Into The Modern Era
Image via Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is enveloping art lovers in the past and present with the MoMA Postcard project, an intriguing experiment in collective creativity—most particularly on the blockchain. The endeavor invites the public to participate in a new digital initiative that combines the concept of mail art with modern Web 3.0 technologies.
MoMA Postcard takes inspiration from mail art, a practice that emerged in the 1950s where artists exchanged art through the postal service. The project reinvents this concept using blockchain technology, calling upon the public to craft a collective creative “postcard.”
Participants can claim a blank MoMA Postcard through the Autonomy app and personalize it with a pixel-art stamp using the museum’s color palette. Once the stamp is recorded on the blockchain, it allows the postcard to be sent onward, recognizing both ownership and shared creative effort.
Each postcard evolves through the contributions of up to 15 different individuals, becoming a living artwork that reaches completion only when all participants have added their creative touch. Each piece thus becomes a micro-community and fosters a sense of camaraderie among its creators.
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The hope is to develop a global community project, reminiscent of a digital chain letter, where each postcard grows collaboratively, stamp by stamp, person by person.
The postcards are minted as non-fungible tokens. NFTs, with their volatility, might be seen as relics of the internet. However, the institution seems to be doubling on its advantages. Incorporating blockchain into this project ensures that each contribution is permanently recorded, maintaining a clear history of the postcard’s ownership and the collaborative effort behind it. The project emphasizes shared ownership of each postcard, moving away from individual proprietorship and reducing the inclination for financial speculation.
#MoMAPostcardProject 💌
— AhcoraRare.eth âŒâ—¨-â—¨ (@AhcoraRare) November 20, 2023
Participate in the MoMA Postcard Project with me! Design your stamp and send this Postcard to its next destination,, ieie :)) pic.twitter.com/T2p1X2XBAN
MoMA Postcard’s initial phase, titled First 15, saw 15 artists from various backgrounds collaborate to create their own digital mail art pieces. Although representing a blend of different practices and perspectives, these creatives were united by their shared fascination with blockchain technology.
Launching October 3! A special collection of 15 artist-designed postcards kicking off the upcoming MoMA Postcard project. pic.twitter.com/b8n9SsjAtk
— MoMA The Museum of Modern Art (@MuseumModernArt) September 29, 2023
The initiative not only promotes creative expression but also serves as an educational tool for understanding blockchain technology.
MoMA Postcard First 15
— p1xelfool (@p1xelfool) September 21, 2023
15 Artists | 15 Postcards | 15 Destinations
Full send on October 3. pic.twitter.com/WzjIT3oycp
[via The Art Newspaper, NFT Now, FAD Magazine, Museum of Modern Art, images via various sources]
This article was crafted with assistance from an AI engine, and has been manually reviewed & edited.
