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Sun Valley Center for the Arts P O Box 656 Sun Valley, ID 83353

PAID BOISE ID PERMIT NO. 679

I need to tell you something: The Lost Art of Letter Writing and Communication Today

Fe b r uary 26 – May 6, 2016

Center hours & location in Ketchum: Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sats in Feb & Mar 11am–5pm 191 Fifth Street East, Ketchum, Idaho Sun Valley Center for the Arts P.O. Box 656, Sun Valley, ID 83353 208.726.9491 sunvalleycenter.org

Cover: Tucker Nichols, postcard, collection of Griff Williams, courtesy the artist and Gallery 16, San Francisco Mailer: Andrew Bush, Envelopes (installation view), 1994–2006, chromogenic prints, courtesy the artist and Julie Saul Gallery, New York Introduction Panels: Gail Tarantino, From Dim to Bright–Henrietta, 2015, acrylic ink on linen, courtesy the artist and Fouladi Projects, San Francisco Inside, counterclockwise from top right: Charles Gute, @ouchytime, 2015, letterpress and mixed media on vintage paper, courtesy the artist and Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco Elena del Rivero, Letter from Home in Cobalt, 2014, oil and dirt on primed canvas, courtesy the artist and Josée Bienvenu Gallery, New York

110 N. Main Street, Hailey, Idaho 208.578.9122

Marc Dombrosky, ARE YOU MISSING A BLUE PLASTIC BOX, 2014, embroidery on found paper with blue painter’s tape, courtesy the artist and Platform Gallery, Seattle Joe Thurston, Nothing Leading Anywhere Any More Except to Nothing (installation view), 2012–present, chalk, bone char, graphite, wood filler, nails, cork, glue, wood, contents, courtesy the artist

I need to tell you something: The Lost Art of Letter Writing and Communication Today

Fe b r uary 26 – May 6, 2016 Sun Valley Center for the Arts When was the last time you received a handwritten letter? Or sent one? In this era of instantaneous communication, a letter is a rare and treasured item. Letters ­connect us, bringing us together through their p ­ hysical presence and ­providing a material link between sender and ­recipient. We tend to view letter writing today with a longing for a time when life was slower or simpler. This nostalgia for the art of letter writing has given rise to ­numerous websites (­­goodletterwriting.com or justwriteletters.com, for example) that encourage us to write personal, physical letters—many offering tips and templates to guide those who are ­inexperienced in letter writing. These websites exist, though, because letter writing is in fact something of a ­dying art form. Social media—from Facebook to Twitter—has, in theory, made us more connected than ever. We take it for granted that we can

send emails or text messages to our loved ones with just a few keystrokes or taps of the thumbs. The ease with which we’re able to communicate offers ­tremendous convenience. But it also means that our communications lack the care and thought that handwritten letters require, much less the precision the telegram once entailed. Despite all this ­connectivity, research suggests that we have never been lonelier and that this loneliness is making us ill. (For instance, a 2013 University of M ­ ichigan study published in the journal PLOS ONE concluded that Facebook usage was tied to a decline in mental well-being among young adults.) The Center offers this BIG IDEA project exploring the handwritten letter as the ­backdrop for a larger conversation about how we communicate today. Without letters, what will happen to our personal histories? Will social media make us less… social?

A BIG IDEA project of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts

I need to tell you something: The Lost Art of Letter Writing and Communication Today

Fe b r uary 26 – May 6, 2016 Visual A rts

Teen Workshop

The visual arts exhibition features artwork that considers different types of communication, from letters to Twitter, and their roles in ­connecting us to our families, friends and the broader world, as well as to our personal histories. Participating artists include: Andrew Bush Marc Dombrosky Charles Gute Tucker Nichols Elena del Rivero Gail Tarantino Joe Thurston

Printing Your Own Postcards with Amy Nack

Gallery Walk Fri, Mar 11, 5–7pm FREE at The Center, Ketchum Start your Gallery Walk at The Center!

Evening Exhibition Tours Thu, Mar 10, Apr 7 & May 5, 5:30pm FREE at The Center, Ketchum Enjoy a glass of wine as you tour the exhibition with The Center’s curators and gallery guides. Para arreglar visitas guiadas en español, favor de llamar al Centro de las Artes.

The atre Company of Fools presents a ­reading of Dear Elizabeth by Sarah Ruhl Wed, Mar 16, 6:30pm The Liberty Theatre, Hailey FREE, $10 suggested donation Dear Elizabeth is a play in letters that follows the beautiful and bittersweet friendship between two of poetry’s greatest literary treasures, Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell.

Perfor ming A rts PostSecret: The Show Tue, Mar 29, 7pm WR High School Performing Arts Theater, Hailey Premium seating: $50 member / $60 nonmember Standard seating: $25 member / $35 nonmember PostSecret: The Show is a visual, auditory and emotional journey through the beauty and complication of our deepest fears, ­ambitions and confessions. Three actors guide the ­audience through a narrative with the bravery of RENT and the surprising honesty of The ­Vagina ­Monologues. PostSecret: The Show is a breakthrough in ­storytelling, sourced from over a million a ­ nonymous and artful secrets mailed on postcards. Material is best suited for mature ­audiences. A student version of PostSecret: The Show will be presented to hundreds of ­local students on the same day as the evening ­performance. Part of The Center’s 2015–2016 Performing Arts Series, sponsored by:

Sat & Sun, Apr 9 & 10, 12–4pm $10, pre-registration required The Center, Hailey Revive the art of sending letters and postcards by creating something to hold, fold and hang on to! Participants will be introduced to two simple and awesome printmaking techniques. The finished prints will be used for personal cards and stationery. Students will also leave with a carved printing block that can be used for years to come. Students are encouraged to bring a design or ­image for inspiration.

Fa mily Day Letters to Your Future Self Sat, Mar 5, 3–5pm FREE at The Center, Ketchum Visitors will explore the exhibition before ­decorating their own stationery and crafting ­letters to their future selves.

Adult Cl ass Lasting Letters with Frish Brandt Thu–Sat, Mar 10–12 FREE at The Center, Ketchum Appointments encouraged. To reserve a 50-minute ­appointment, please call The Center. Walk-ups will also be ­accommodated. What would you write to loved ones? The ­Lasting Letters workshop is an intimate 50-­minute session, working one-on-one with guide ­Frish Brandt. Together in your session, you will compose a letter to someone who has special resonance in your life—a letter that will be there for years to come. In this informal process, ­Frish scribes and edits as conversation flows and questions arise. The process is fluid and ­collaborative, both thoughtful and playful. Frish Brandt has been writing letters all of her life. Her interest in Lasting Letters (aka Legacy Letters) began several years ago as life presented more opportunities for this work. Frish is aligned with an increasing range of palliative care ­doctors, chaplains and hospices, as well as the rest of us mortal souls, in promoting the importance of ­writing letters of meaning to those who are ­special in our lives.

Get Involved!

Participate in the #NeedToTellYou and #FindOneLeaveOne movement! @sunvalleycenter Look for flyers and notes around the valley.

Sun Valley Center for the Arts sunvalleycenter.org