Remember September Mail Art Project
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A Mail Art Project to Remember September 11th
Through the use of mail art, participants can express their feelings and reflect on the September 11th attacks, the heroes, the victims, their patriotism and how everyone's lives had changed.
This project is an excellent example of how one can use creativity to cope with a major life changing event.
Created as one of my earliest lenses, this lens was originally published 08/20/2007 as a way to spread the word out about the project. I have updated this lens in the hopes that more people will hear about this healing project, now in it's 9th year.
Since this year, 2011 marks the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2011, it is very likely that there is going to be a great number of letters sent for this year. It may be a thought-provoking project for teachers and groups to express themselves through art and encourage students to participate and share their thoughts on the anniversary of this national tragedy.
Image Source: Remember September 2004. Collection of Submissions.
Remember September Mail Art Memorial
History of the Remember September Project
Gail's idea for the Remember September Mail Art project was simple to encourage people to decorate an envelope, creating mail art as a way to honor the victims and heroes of the 9/11/01 attacks on the United States.Starting on the first anniversary of the September 11th attacks, she decided to put out a call for envelopes exploring the idea of "cachets" or commemorative envelope art.
Using the Internet and with the help of friends she stared the idea. Contributors decorated an envelope with artwork as a way of remembering and honoring the victims, rescue workers, and countless volunteers affected by 9/11. The envelope would become a private memorial of the date.
A private note, poem, or prayer can be included as part of the envelope memorial, because the envelopes stay as envelopes and are never opened.
The envelopes have been collected and exhibited online and at other venues. Starting in 2010 many of the envelopes have been digitized and shared on the Remember September Mail Art website.
Image Source: Remember September 2005 Collection of Submissions.
Gail's Thoughts on the Meaning of the "Call"
The response grew and the collection now houses thousands of envelopes, all small artworks remembering that fateful day.
I like to think of the artists' journey to the post office to mail their envelope as their personal parade in honor of those who were lost and those who helped so selflessly.
As with art throughout history, this mail art reflects the heart and soul of each artist. It serves to express their feelings far beyond words.
I came to realize that the Remember September Mail Art Memorial "call" must be done each year for the results will serve as a powerful history of how we recall that painful day as time passes.
Gail Ellspermann
Founder & Curator, Remember September Mail Art Memorial
More on the Remember September Mail Art Memorial
- Remember September Mail Art Memorial Project
- An annual call for Mail Art to honor the victims and heroes of the 9/11/01 attacks on the United States.
- About the Project
- A note from project founder Gail Ellspermann about the origins and the history of the project.
- Submission Guidelines
- This is an ongoing project, continuing indefinitely. Each year's submissions will be added to this web site. Please see Teacher Submission Guidelines below.
Vote on Participating in Remember September
Remember September Envelope by Gail
Remember September Envelope by Gail Ellspermann from 2005
How to Send a Remember September Envelope
How to Participate in the Remember September Mail Art Project
Participating in the Remember September Mail Art Project is fairly simple.Image Source: Remember September 2004.
Collection of Submissions.
- 1Decide on Your Theme.
- 2Create Your Envelope.
- 3Address Your Envelope.
- 4Mail Your Envelope on September 11th.
Decide on a Theme
To decide on your theme start by take a look at some of the images of the envelopes on this page or visit the Remember September page on Artella for inspiration.You may decide on a particular mood, a word, an image that you want to build your theme around.
Because the envelopes, stay as envelopes and are never opened you might also want to include a private note, a poem, a favorite quotation or a prayer as part of the envelope memorial.
Image Source: Remember September 2003. Collection of Submissions.
Create the Envelope
This commemorative project allows for any type of media can be used--paint, collage, fabric, computer or digital art, stamping, stickers colored pencils, paint, markers, crayons or pens.Pick whatever media suits you. Look at the various different examples for inspiration.
Do remember that the envelope will be carried through the regular US Mail, so make sure to attach items to the envelope securely.
Create a piece of "mail art" on any size envelope which is relevant to 9/11, the victims, heroes, and/or events of the day.
Image Source: Remember September 2005. Collection of Submissions.
Professional Art Set
80 Piece Studio Art Set by Nicole
Amazon Price: $15.47 (as of 02/16/2012)
With this 80-piece professional art set, you can create envelopes using color pencils, oil pastels, watercolors or a combination of all three.
Comes in a portable wood case.
Supplies to Make a Remember September Envelope
More on Art Kits to Inspire Creativity
Address Your Envelope
Envelopes are addressed to:- Remember September
P.O. Box 793
Katonah, NY 10536
Put your name, address & e-mail address on the BACK of the envelope.
Image Source: Remember September 2004 Collection of Submissions.
Commemorative Postage Stamps
The 9/11 Heroes, Purple Heart and the United We Stand have been popular stamps for mailing the envelopes.
Mail Your Envelope on September 11th
The Remember September Art Mail Project Address:Remember September
P.O. Box 793
Katonah, NY 10536
Add sufficient postage, take the envelope to the post office and mail your envelope on September 11.
You want to ask for a hand-cancel so as not to damage the artwork.
Remember that your name, address and e-mail address goes on the BACK of the envelope.
Image Source: Remember September 2005. Collection of Submissions.
How Teachers and Groups Can Participate
The guidelines for participation are slightly different for groups, please see below:
- 1Students should address their individual envelopes to: Remember September, PO Box 793, Katonah NY 10536
- 2Students should NOT put their name on the front of the envelope.
- 3Students should include their name, the school name and teacher name (or organization and group leader) on the BACK of the envelope.
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4Envelopes can be mailed together in one package, individual stamps and postmarks are not required.
Another option to avoid postage costs is asking students to each bring one first class stamp so their envelope can be mailed individually. - 5Include a list of participants in the package. The envelopes will be grouped together on the website and a list will assist us in keeping groups together.
- 6Be advised that participation in the project by mailing the envelopes grants the organizers of the Remember September Mail Art Memorial unrestricted permission to display the images in any media they chose, including, but not limited to, print media, website, public display and promotional materials.
- 7Share the participation guidelines with other teachers and encourage them to have their students submit artwork
Tips for Talking to Children about 9/11
- Talking to Your Children About 9/11 | National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- Every year, the attacks of 9/11 recede further into the past. However, for those of us who lost someone close or otherwise experienced that day - whether in person or on television - thinking and talking about 9/11 may still evoke strong emotions that transport us back to the tragedy and can jar emotions long forgotten.
- National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement - Overview
- National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement experts at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center collaborate with communities and organizations to assist students, staff and families.
- School Safety and Crisis Resources
- NASP has made these materials available free of charge to the public in
order to promote the ability of children and youth to cope with traumatic
or unsettling events.
Remember September Mail Art Project on Artella
For the last several years the Artella.com site has been a major source for information on the Remember September Mail Art project.The site continues to provide links, articles and samples of the envelopes.
- Remember September Mail Art Project
- Information on the Remember September mail art project, developed by Gail Ellspermann.
- An Article about Remember September Mail Art
- An article about Remember September published in e-Artella issue #e-3. Available as a pdf file download.
- Remember September Mail Art Project - 2005
- Selections from the 2005 Remember September.
- Remember September Mail Art Project - 2004
- Selections from the 2004 Remember September.
- Remember September Mail Art Project - 2003
- Selections from the 2003 Remember September.
Remember September Envelope by Marney
Remember September Envelope by Marney Makridakis from 2005
Articles on the Remember September Mail Art Project
- Kitten Creates: Remember September Mail Art...mails Saturday
- Saturday is the day to have your Remember September Mail Art postmarked. Mine will go to the post office to be hand canceled...so that the postage stamps have a chance of surviving without heavy cancellation marks.
- Artella Forum: Remember September Mail Art
- A post on the Remember September Mail Art project.
- CC's Art Blog: Remember September
- A blog post from CC's Art on the Remember September Mail Art Project.
- Opportunity for September 11 Related Art
- A blog post from the Museum of Paper: MailArt about Opportunity for September 11 Related Art
- Italian Artist Fabio Sassi on Remember September
- Fabio Sassi has been a part of the Remember September project since 2002.
- Ways of Creatively Remembering Those Lost on September 11, 2001
- Ways of Creatively Remembering Those Lost on September 11, 2001
My Contribution to Remember September
My Contribution Front
This is how the front looked before it was mailed.
Creating My Digital Art Envelope
I created my Remember September Mail Art Project as a digital art envelope, so it was all in black and white (since I only own a laser printer).When it was done, I just printed it out on the computer.
I wanted to include a commemorative poem, quotes and digital art images. I incorporated the poem into boxes that looked like building on a skyline.
I also wanted a record of what I had sent, without having to take a photo. This was in the days before I had a digital camera.
Having a file on the computer makes it easy to have a copy, so I can still access it now.
My Contribution Once Mailed
This is how the front looked after it had been mailed. I used a Purple Heart stamp to mail it.
Updates on the Remember September Mail Art
Updates from Gail 2010
Thought you would like to know that the Remember September web site is up and running.
Please take a look and share the link with friends & colleagues. www.rememberseptembermailart.com
Many thanks,
Gail Ellspermann
Founder & Curator, Remember September Mail Art Memorial
www.rememberseptembermailart.com
www.gailellspermann.blogspot.com
Remember September 2002 Envelope
Remember September Envelope by Gail Ellspermann from 2002
Updates on Remember September from Gail
Hi Kirsti
Yes, I am still going to collect envelopes and will create one myself. However, I am looking into turning this over to the 9/11 museum in New York, if possible.
I am proud of what has come together over the past years and am hopeful that it will find a good home with the museum. I plan to continue sending an envelope each year to add to the collection, wherever it winds up residing.
So, please, do post about it and do encourage people to send envelopes. The project still lives and will find an appropriate permanent home.
The mailing address remains the same, for now.
Remember September
P.O. Box 793
Katonah, NY 10536
Thank you for your support,
Gail Ellspermann, 2008
Remembering September
10 Years Later
New Yorkers Remember September 11th
After the Fall: New Yorkers Remember September 2001 and the Years that Followed
Amazon Price: $11.50 (as of 02/16/2012)
Written to to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, After the Fall: New Yorkers Remember September 2001 and the Years that Followed is a collection of 9/11 interviews collected by the Columbia University Oral History program.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- The National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- The home page for the The National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
A Place to Rembember
A Place of Remembrance: Official Book of the National September 11 Memorial (9/11 Memorial)
Amazon Price: $7.03 (as of 02/16/2012)
The official book by and about the National September 11 Memorial. The book was created by those who have been working for years to honor those who died that day.
The book is a solemn reminder of the events and the aftermath of that day and a historic keepsake.
September 11, 2001 Memorial and Remembrance Resources
Remember - Reflect - Renew
- Pentagon Memorial Fund
- The Pentagon Memorial Fund is a campaign to raise financial support for the construction and permanent maintenance of a memorial park dedicated to those lost at the Pentagon and aboard Flight 77 on September 11, 2001.
- World Trade Center Memorial: National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- The National September 11 Memorial & Museum will build, program, own and operate the Memorial & Museum at Ground Zero that have been planned by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), a city-state entity established after 9/11 to guide the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan.
Remembering September
Over the Years
The World Trade Center Cross
The World Trade Center Cross was created by steel beams in the formation of a cross were pulled from the World Trade Center wreckage by rescue workers.
The Cross served as a monument at the World Trade Center site during the recovery efforts.
Image of World Trade Center Cross by Ben Shafer
The WTC Cross Installed at the 9/11 Memorial Museum
- 'WTC Cross' is Installed in 9/11 Memorial Museum (Updated) | National September 11 Memorial & Museum
- The intersecting steel beam that came to be known as the World Trade Center Cross was lowered today by crane into the 9/11 Memorial Museum. First encountered by construction worker Frank Silecchia in the vicinity of where 6 World Trade Center had stood, the 17-foot-tall cross became an icon of hope and comfort throughout the recovery effort in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
- World Trade Center Cross Moving To Permanent Home At National September 11th Memorial And Museum
- A flatbed truck moved the World Trade Center cross from its old location next to St. Peter's Church to the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.
Photographs of Ground Zero on the 5th Anniversary of 9-11 on Flickr
In Memoriam - New York City, 9/11/01 (2002) in the Amazon Spotlight
In Memoriam - New York City, 9/11/01
Amazon Price: $0.99 (as of 02/16/2012)
Originally shown on HBO on May 26, 2002, In Memoriam is one of the most vital documents to emerge after the events of September 11, 2001.
Compiled from over 100 sources, this collage of audio, video, and photography will provoke tears, anger, and grief all over again. In Memoriam is a potent visual reminder that 9/11 was a day of unity, transcending the horrors witnessed here.
More Ways to Remember 9-11
Others Remembering September 11, 2001
Thoughtful Lenses about September 11
The 9/11 Widows Remember September
Love You Mean It
Love You, Mean It: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Friendship
Amazon Price: $3.07 (as of 02/16/2012)
A book that will console and inspire written by four widows of the 9/11 World Trade Center Tragedy.
9/11 Widows Living Beyond the 11th
Books on Remembering September
Remember September Lens Judged Best Seasonal Lenses
Comments on the Remember September Mail Art Project
Do you think you might mail in a letter for the Remember September Mail Art Project?
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poddys
Sep 11, 2011 @ 2:45 am | delete
- Great idea for helping to commemorate 9-11. Featured on the 9-11 section on my United States Of America lens.
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MoiraCrochetsPlarn
Jul 31, 2011 @ 5:32 am | delete
- beautiful lens for remembering those who passed during that fateful day.
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annmackiemiller
Jul 28, 2011 @ 10:09 am | delete
- nicely done Kirsty
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Sep 8, 2008 @ 6:55 am | delete
- ...c'mon folks, let's join this project!
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stargazer00
Aug 7, 2008 @ 3:13 pm | delete
- It never ceases to amaze me how creative people are. What a nice project. 5*, faved, lensrolled!
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About the Author
Benefiting Dog Tags for Kids
by Comfortdoc
Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT is a respected physician, an expert in life challenges, loss, grief and bereavement, professional health educator, professor,... more »
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