Art association plans mailbox exhibit

The Fairfield Art Association will again grace the city?s downtown nodes with a summer art installation ? this year: ?1st Class Art: CREATIVE DELIVERY.?

The art association is inviting adult artists and fine crafts persons to participate in the project by designing new, recycled or entirely self-created mailboxes; they need not adhere to official post office regulations. In fact, the art association encourages artists to embellish the mailboxes beyond typical size.

?We never know what we?re going to get,? said art association co-president Suzan Kessel. The mailboxes follow a public art lineup of mannequins, birdhouses and chairs the past three summers,

?I hope people don?t think the have to be real mailboxes,? Kessel said. ?They can be the idea of a special delivery creation.?

Any individual or group interested in creating one of the 24 mailboxes can contact Kessel at suzan1252@aol.com or 472-5374. Already about a dozen of the mailboxes have been claimed, and several new people are participating in the exhibit, Kessel said.

The mailboxes will go on display June 1 for the 1st Fridays Art Walk and remain in Fairfield?s garden nodes through the September art walk, at which time the winners of a silent auction beginning in August will be announced. Proceeds from sale of the mailboxes will be divided among participants and the art association.

The mailboxes must be weatherproof, sturdy, safe to handle and in good community taste.