Postcards for Democracy, the giant mailbox exhibition comes to LA for the first time ahead of the midterm elections

Postcards For
Democracy

A Collective Mail Art demonstration
(now over 40,000 cards)

from Mark Mothersbaugh & Beatie Wolfe

Join forces for this collective
postcard art demonstration

Buy USPS stamps
(65¢ for postcards & 82¢ for 1oz letters [2026'Jul])
Design your postcard
Mail it to...
8760 Sunset Blvd,
West Hollywood,
CA 90069-2206
USA

Need inspiration... here are a few Beatie & Mark created together...

And then what?

The postcards will become part of a ever-evolving collective installation - art directed by Mark Mothersbaugh & Beatie Wolfe.

All mail art from Postcards for Democracy's first launch was displayed on rotation at the Rauschenberg Gallery following which a selection of the art was taken into the Smithsonian Postal Museum. Following the 2024 election LA's Democracy Center (by the MOCA) dedicated their window gallery for a year.

In October 2026 a special exhibition happening in LA's Chinatown... more info

The Mailroom

Since the project launched in September 2020 it has received over 40,000 cards from across the U.S. but also worldwide.

Many people writing in said it was the first time they had made a piece of art how much joy the campaign bought.

A lot of postal workers also got a kick out of delivering cards celebrating them!

Have a look at some of these thousands of cards in the mailroom

Further highlights of Mark & Beatie's 2020 & 2024 campaigns include:

Public Community Events

In addition to receiving and exhibiting mailed cards, Beatie and Mark have held pop-up community creation stations at the Oshogatsu Family Festival, CicLAvia, CalMatters roadshow, LA Public Libraries, Pat Brown Institute, Zocalo Public Square, ArtCenter, AFI Fest, Sister Mary Corita legacy day, in addition to their postcard clinics outside their 8760 Sunset Blvd HQ.

Exhibitions on both Coasts

Upon learning of the tens of thousands of cards received, the Rauschenberg Gallery in Fort Myers, Florida invited the campaign's first showing. This ran for over four months in 2021, with the displayed cards rotating weekly to ensure every art card was shown. Afterward, the Smithsonian National Postal Museum invited a sample of the show into its collection in Washington, DC. Then came a year-long exhibition at LA's Democracy Center (opposite MOCA) spanning 2024–2025.

Other weird & wonderful things

Postcard for Democracy was a headline session at SXSW 2020 (then closed the festival on its Clubhouse), has its own show on dublab radio, special commemorative stamp sheets and commissioned a Giant Mailbox. The Mailbox monolith was unveiled outside Postcard for Democracy's HQ on Sunset Blvd, with installation muscle from Fred Armisen.

Press Support

Kind support for this project from Billboard, Pitchfork, Fast Company, LA Times, Cool Hunting, Design Milk, The Art Newspaper, The Nation, Brooklyn Vegan, Boing Boing, CBS, Austin Chronicle, USA Today, Dezeen, Variety, Times of London, Spectrum News & more

Hold on, I've got another question...

Q. What should be on the postcard?
A. Anything that you like, from a statement to a poem to a doodle to a design. And you don’t have to be an "artist"!

Q. Is this a non-profit?
A. Yes this is an art demonstration and if any profits are raised they’ll go to art/voter enrollment charities/initiatives.

Q. Is this open to the rest of the world?
A. Yes, anyone can join in.

Q. Just how creative can I get with my card design?
A. Well we received a painted coconut postcard but be sure to follow the USPS guidelines if unsure.

Q. Can I still send cards after the election?
A. Yes, keep buying stamps and sending cards.

Q. I can't get to a post office to buy stamps what can I do?
A. How about ordering them online from USPS 🔗

Q. Still got a question or just want to get in touch?
A. Just send up an email via... mail@postartfordemocracy.com