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-Collaboration with Robert Marbury, Brian Lesteberg, and Gabe Welker for the Art Shanty Projects on Medicine Lake.

The Medicine Lake Postal Shanty

When developing a proposal for the 2006-2007 Art Shanty Projects, we were both struck by the intense
focus on community within the gathering of ice houses and how temporary social structure emerges
especially in harsh environments. Ice fishing is traditionally a solitary sport, made so by the structure and the
winter outside. By making that event public and then bringing together diverse interpretations of private life, the art shanty project is evolving in form like any fledgling society. We would like to be involved in the
evolution of the community by creating a postal office, which would provide mailing, distribution and mapping
services.

We believe that by providing a Postal Shanty we are identifying communication as a major facet of the
Art Shanty Project. Our role would allow for communication to foster not only internally, but to reach outside
and allow those outside to reach in. Obviously, the quicker, more effective means of communication on the ice is cell phones. But as a public utility, the Postal Office remains the main meeting point for small communities
internationally. This space can be a catalyst for revitalizing communications. We would hope that a visitor
might be inspired to reconnect with a friend while visiting the Art Shanties.

In addition to coordinating and labeling mail leaving from the ice shanty community, we also propose to secure a P.O. Box in Medicine Lake for mail to be delivered to individual shanties. This would also require mapping
out the community, either through numbering or "street" addresses to provide clear and convenient distribution of mail.

Structurally, the Postal Shanty will be a traditional two skid, four wall house. An external mail slot will be
included for times when the shanty is not open. During operational hours, an attendant will be present to assist in mailing needs and "hand canceling" each piece of mail to assure the recipient that the mail did in fact come
from within the Art Shanty community. A writing table and chairs will be the main focus of the Postal Shanty to allow visitors a quiet and warm workspace to properly write a letter that otherwise would go unwritten. We
believe that visiting the Art Shanty community on the ice should be like visiting a vacation cabin and offer an
opportunity to slow down the pace of the life.

We see the role of the Postal Shanty to extend beyond the heated walls. Since we will also be responsible for delivering the mail to each shanty, it gives us the opportunity to socialize, gossip and spread news amongst
each and every resident. This can be useful to you as organizers, since we will provide a clear route for
distributing news, updates and other community information.