Catherine Alice Michaelis

May Day Press Mail Art, Keepsakes, Whimsies, & Etc.

In 2024 I was welcomed into a postcard exchange group I had been aching to be part of for years. I wasn’t planning this series, but as soon as a spot opened up for me, this is what I knew I wanted to print. An Unreliable Lesbian is my coming out story, as well as my story of getting clean & sober in 1984 and traveling to Asia in 1985. Each month I print and mail a postcard to my exchange group and extras go out to a mailing list of folk. You can follow the entire series on my Instagram: @maydaypresssalishsea They’re meant to stay simple — quick to print and short to read. I’m writing as I print, and I have no idea how long I’ll keep it going. I’m still yours truly, An Unreliable Lesbian.

When the pandemic hit the PNW in early 2020, I first went into panic mode, then dread, then action mode! I started printing weekly from the March Equinox 2020 through July, and then a few intermittent stragglers. The above photo shows almost everything, and the 11 sec movie below shows you Pandemic Post #11 in action. This was my first real mail art project. I sent the bulk of the editions to frontline workers, letterpress printers, people in New York and Korea, frontline workers who couldn’t stay home like I did. I printed them in editions of 50 - 200. I wanted to make something with my hands to received into the hands of others. The only kind of touching we could do for a while.

While my show was up at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art I came to sit in my gallery and they hosted premier of Craft in America's "Nature" episode for which I was interviewed. Each time I was present at the museum I brought letterpress keepsakes - or else allowed patrons to print their own on a table top platen press I brought in. Here are four of the keepsakes.

Aster Nautica
words by Clare Elliot Lilliston
images by Catherine Alice Michaelis

Pressure printed plants, ghost printing, mono-print, and hand set type. 

Created for the filming by Craft in America at May ay Press for the episode "Nature" for PBS.

Small keepsakes that can fit in your wallet.