Mail Art Exhibition carries on Ray Johnson creative line: Artist Riitta Ikonen, Scandinavia House Mail Art exhibition/demonstration Sat March 7, 2026 New York City.

Hi All FineArtMagazine Blog readers, it energized my day to read of  artist Riitta Ikonen, Scandinavia House Mail Art exhibition/demonstration Sat March 7, 2026  New York City. IN 1978  Ray Johnson knocked on my door early one morning to discuss fax art his new evolution of mail. What was so startling was I did not know Ray, he just showed up. Ray explained he would be famous one day and any faxed art would receive would be valuable. We agreed I would write up a small article, I think Ray was displaying at the Cuntry Art Gallery, Locust Valley, Chris Watson, co-owner and Director was a friend of mine. My focus on the value of art and it's creative energy not the value to come.  We continued our art dialogues until I moved form Bayville, on Long Island  about two  years later. Ray faxed or  mailed our offices his art correspondence for several years after that. Ray Johnson was one of the originator/founder of mail art . Below Riitta Ikonen captures the same vitality and energy in her mail art series featured at the Finnish Postal  Museum and Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue. The life of Ray's idea continues to inspire art energy as a valued form of communication. Jamie Forbes, Publisher SunStorm Fine Art Magazine, and Fineartmagazineblog.bogspot where we feature the joy of art creativity.

The Nordic Center in America 58 Park Ave, NYC     View in browser View full schedule Scandinaviahouse.org Facebook Visit About Membership Food Shop Support   MAIL ART SERIES WITH RIITTA IKONEN ARTIST WORKSHOP The acclaimed Finnish artist introduces participants to the practice of mail art alongside a special collaboration with the Finnish Postal Museum.  New York, NY—Beginning Saturday, March 7, Scandinavia House is thrilled to present a special series of full-day Mail Art Workshops with acclaimed Finnish artist Riitta Ikonen! The series will also feature a special exhibition collaboration with the Finnish Postal Museum in Tampere.  Held as full-day sessions on Saturdays, March 7, 21, and 28, this hands-on workshop introduces participants to the practice of mail art as a collaborative and time-based artistic process involving sender, postal system, and receiver. Led by acclaimed Finnish artist Riitta Ikonen ahead of her exhibition at the American Swedish Institute this June, the workshop invites participants to work with everyday materials and found ephemera to create postcard-sized artworks intended for mailing. During each full-day session (10:00 AM–4:00 PM, with a 30–45 minute lunch break), participants will receive an introduction to the history and contemporary contexts of mail art, followed by guided studio time. Each participant will create up to three postcards, including one work to be sent to the Finnish Postal Museum as part of a dedicated exhibition documenting the journey of the artworks from New York to Finland. In advance of the workshop, participants will be invited to collect a hand-created mail art postcard by Riitta Ikonen from a designated “mailbox” at Scandinavia House. The postcard provides conceptual prompts and practical guidance for observing and gathering materials from daily life, offering participants the opportunity to experience mail art as recipients prior to making their own works. ABOUT THE ARTIST Originally from the deep forests of eastern Finland, Riitta Ikonen works through performance, wearable sculptures, participatory performances and mail art. After completing her MA at the Royal College of Art in London in 2008, she has exhibited internationally holding shows at the Barbican Centre, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Peabody Essex Museum and the London- and Pyeongchang Olympics. Ikonen lectures at schools and universities and advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration for actionable change. Scandinavia House 58 Park Avenue New York, NY 10016 212–779–3587 scandinaviahouse.org @ScanHouse #scandinaviagouseart#mailartrayjohnson#fineartmagazineblogblogspot#sunstormfornartmagazine

Opening October 14 at Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, Narrative Threads: Works by Eight Nordic Artists

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Opening October 14 at Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, Narrative Threads: Works by Eight Nordic Artists presents multi-media artwork by Nordic artists, each distinguished by their innovative use of natural, synthetic, and digital materials. Exploring Nordic craft traditions through a contemporary lens, the works in the exhibition engage with material experimentation, and digital technology, with textile design, ceramics, stitching, painting, audio recording, and assemblage offering diverse narrative expressions and perspectives. The exhibition will feature the work of eight internationally celebrated artists: Margrethe Aanestad (Norway), Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter (Iceland), Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson (Iceland), Hildur Bjarnadóttir (Iceland), Astrid Krogh (Denmark), Heidi Hankaniemi (Finland), Marianne Huotari (Finland), and Kristina Riska (Finland). Narrative Threads will be accompanied by a range of programming, including Gallery Tours taking place regularly on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM. Monthly evening adult art workshops that explore techniques and themes presented in the exhibition will be offered by Icelandic teaching artist Melkorka Helgadottir. Their works on view will explore personal histories and intergenerational discourse, while influenced by ages-old handicraft techniques and cultural traditions. Margrethe Aanestad’s abstract drawing and sculpture subtly reference landscapes and the celestial sphere. Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir (known as Shoplifter) works with both synthetic and natural hair tocreate sculptures, wall murals and site-specific installations exploring themes of vanity, self-image, fashion, beauty, and popular myth, while Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson uses silk and dye to create large-scale fabric installations based on the landscape of her native Iceland. Hildur Bjarnadóttir’s woven paintings, audio pieces, and large-scale silk installations investigate issues of belonging, ecology, place and cohabitation with animals and plants in Iceland; Astrid Krogh explores the dialogue between natural and artificial illumination when paired with fibers, while Heidi Hankaniemi’s practice incorporates the tactile and the performative. Marianne Huotari’s distinctive ceramic works weave tradition with contemporary art by applying the classic Finnish textile technique with unpredictable materials. Kristina Riska has been exploring and redefining the traditional tenets of ceramic sculpture since the 1980s with unorthodox, large-scale works inspired by nature and the properties of light and shadow.   PUBLIC OPENING:  Saturday, October 14  WHERE:                  Scandinavia House                                58 Park Ave., NYC 10016 GALLERY HOURS:   Tuesday through Saturday, 12-6 PM                              Wednesdays, 12-7 PM Download Full Press Release Generous support for this exhibition has been received from the Inger G. & William B. Ginsberg Support Fund, the Bonnier Family Fund for Contemporary Art, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and the Estate of Tova Borgnine. It will be on view at Scandinavia House through February 17, 2024. For further information and hi-res images, please contact lori@amscan.org or 212-847-9727.

Opening October 14 at Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, Narrative Threads: Works by Eight Nordic Artists 58 PARK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10016 212–779–3587 SCANDINAVIAHOUSE.ORG