New Year Card Exchange

year of the horse

Print Australia History: The Early Years
New Year Card Exchange


In Nov 1999, having heard of the Japanese tradition of a new year card exchange from another printmaker, I introduced the idea to the {baren} list and initiated the annual new year card exchange.

Baren Forum began sponsoring its annual New Year's Card Exchange for the 2000 new year and has continued this popular exchange in each subsequent year. The exchange prints are to be designed around that year's Chinese Zodiac Animal.

http://barenforum.org/new_year/index.html

It was initially co-ordinated by Pete Walls in 2000, with the exchange documentation appearing on the newly formed Print Australia Website.

Josephine has set up an awesome website dedicated to the exchange.
http://web.archive.org/web/20010406134044/www.acay.com.au/~severn/Dcards.htm

I participated in Jan 2000. 2001, & 2002, after which I left the {Baren} list.

Print Australia ran its first annual miniature print exchange in Dec 2002, which continues as the Lyrebyrd Miniature Print Exchange. This was designed in a similar format to the new year card exchange, but improved with modifications.
See the History of the Lyrebyrd Exchange.

by Severn


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From: Josephine Severn
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 19:34:24 +1100
Subject: [Baren 6558]

Hi Again
I dont know if this is OK to do but this came in the mail today and I am
forwarding it to Baren. If its not OK I'll apologise in advance. I guess
many of you will have seen this already?

I dont know much about JApanese culture but this sounds like such a
lovely thing to do. Sort of the old fashioned spirit of Christmas that I
though was dead or killed by crass commercialism.

Just wanted to share a nice thought with you..

Josephine

In Japan there is a tradition of exchanging New Years cards that are hand
made and the size of a postcard, 4" x 6". Each year everyone makes an image
of the animal that belongs to that year, dog, monkey, etc. This New Year it
is the Dragon for 2000. What a great mythic animal for the beginning of the
next century. Last summer Moya Bligh, a part time printmaking instructor
from Kyoto-Seika University in Japan, was teaching a workshop in Japanese
waterbase woodcut printmaking here at the Univ. of Oregon. (I hosted her
and taught with her.) She talked about this tradition and invited my print
students to make dragon postcards to exchange with each other and with
students in Japan. Each person will then have a little collection of dragon
prints. My students are having such a great time making these prints (not
in a limited edition) that I thought it might be fun to suggest this
exchange to the print list.

I don't know exactly how the exchange could or should be done but each
person making a card could make as many as they like and somehow contact
others making them to arrange for an exchange of cards. Is this idea just
too unmanageable? What do you think of the idea and do you have any
suggestions about how the exchange could be done?

Peggy Prentice
Printmaking Coordinator
Art Department
University of Oregon, Eugene

http://www.barenforum.org/archives/vol09/v09_775.txt

===========================
From: Pedrobot@aol.com
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 10:55:13 EST
Subject: [Baren 6579] Re: Postcards

If y'all want to, I'd be willing to set up a little web page that has a bunch
of Baren member addresses so that those interested could send cards. If
anyone is interested, that is. I guess just e-mail me your name and address.

- --Pete

------------------------------

From: Pedrobot@aol.com
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 11:09:30 EST
Subject: [Baren 6581] Dragon Card Exchange Page

If anybody wants their name on the list, e-mail me your name, address and
e-mail. I set up a (very simple- don't mock my HTML) directory at:

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/5426/baren.html

That way, anybody who wants to send out cards will have the option to, as
long as your name is on the list.

- --Pete
++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Pedrobot@aol.com
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 16:29:12 EST
Subject: [Baren 6588] Dragon Sign-Up Page

The Dragon Card Exchange page is up and running. (well, stumbling, anyway...;)

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/5426/baren.html

- --Pete

http://www.barenforum.org/archives/vol09/v09_777.txt

This is the list of names and addresses of the [Baren] members who are interested in participating in the Dragon New Year's Card Exchange. This is an informal kind of set-up, so mailing, postage, organization, etc. is all up to the participants. This page exists so that you'll know where to send your stuff.

To get your name added to the list, click here.

Josephine has set up an awesome website dedicated to the exchange. Click here to check it out.

http://web.archive.org/web/20010406134044/www.acay.com.au/~severn/Dcards.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20010111214400/www.acay.com.au/~severn/dragon.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20010415171923/www.acay.com.au/~severn/ausdragon.htm

Also, some other info:

-The suggested size for the cards is 4"x6"
-Try to get them mailed on or around the actual New Year (duh!); having the 2000 postmark might be nifty
-You can stick them in an envelope or do it postcard-style
-The last day I will add names to the list is December 31st (New Year's Eve) sometime in the morning here on the West Coast

Last updated December 26, 1999
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/5426/baren.html

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year of the snake

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Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000
To: Print Australia
Subject: New Exchange

Hi All

While I was on holidays I decided that Print Australia would
have another card exchange similar to the Dragon card
exchange in which I participated last year and which can be
seen at
http://www.acay.com.au/~severn/dcards.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20010406134044/www.acay.com.au/~severn/Dcards.htm

However, the people over at Baren have decided to go with it
again and are organising a "year of the snake' card
exchange. Details can be seen at
http://www.geocities.com/pedrobot2000/snake.html

So after some deliberation I have decided NOT to do one
through Print Australia as most of you are on BAren anyway,
and instead am passing on the invitation for you to
particpate in the Snake Card exchange.

This was a huge amount of fun last year. You send out cards
to everyone's home address and your letterbox fills up with
envelopes from exotic places, each containing a little hand
made print!

The exchange is not restricted to woodblock, all media other
glicee/digital prints are acceptable. It might be a courtesy
if you are not already a baren member to go join baren
first.

Josephine