Wholesome Roc, Images of Home: Postcard Art (5/13/88)

Wholesome Roc Art Gallery and Cafe, an alternative art space opened in Chicago in 1987, provided a place for artists, particularly black queer artists, to display their art and engage with one another. This video centers an exhibit at Wholesome Roc created by the Architecture Gallery and entitled "Image of Home," which contains a collection of postcards sent from around the world.

0:00Copy video clip URL Static.

0:02Copy video clip URL Video begins. At Wholesome Roc Art Gallery and Cafe (previously known as Holsum Roc), patrons mingle, gazing at the art exhibited on the gallery’s walls. The camera pans over individual pieces of art, which vary from collages to photographs to prints to hand-penciled drawings, a letter addressed to “Image of Home: The Architecture Gallery” at Merchandise Mart, the surroundings of Wholesome Roc, and the people assembled there.

5:04Copy video clip URL Stephanie Coleman, co-founder of Wholesome Roc, and a young woman, the girlfriend of one of the art show’s originators, approach Kenn Hartmann, the cameraman.

5:23Copy video clip URL The young woman beckons over David, a young man, who explains the origins of the postcard-centric “Image of Home,” which he, Randy, and Peter created out of a desire to provide “an outlet for young architects to show their work.” At Hartmann’s questioning, David mentions who mailed in postcards to the exhibit, how they advertised the exhibit, and what types of postcards they receive. 

9:07Copy video clip URL David walks Hartmann through one group of postcards from an artist in Canada, and the two chat further about the process of creating the art show and several of the postcards on display.

11:40Copy video clip URL David talks about the cigar boxes containing models of the image of home in the gallery.

13:33Copy video clip URL Another man from the Architecture Gallery, Peter, joins David and Hartmann. Peter talks about their plans to create a book containing the exhibit’s postcards. The three discuss multiple topics, including the mail art network, the connections between the exhibit and architecture, postcards as an art medium, and their hopes for the exhibit.

25:24Copy video clip URL Hartmann shows close-ups of multiple different postcards in the exhibit. Peter and David tell the story of putting the pieces together into the exhibit, and why they included all the postcards they received.

28:10Copy video clip URL Randy, the third founder of the exhibit, joins the group and introduces himself to Hartmann. The group plans the next topic to be videotaped: Randy’s favorite postcards.

29:17Copy video clip URL Randy leads Hartmann to his personal favorite, a pastel drawing of a room. “I think it has a great sense of space. It’s architectural and Tom might not be art architect. That may very well be the place he lives, or it may just be a fantasy.”

30:25Copy video clip URL Randy shows another of his favorites, from “behind the Iron Curtain,” or Soviet-controlled Europe. The postcard displays a number of locations entitled “My Homes,” with dates the sender lived at each homes. Randy displays the back of the postcard, explaining how artists may personalize the cards they send. The group explains how they use the mail art network to receive the postcards.

33:10Copy video clip URL Randy begins to open a particular box from New Jersey, which had been addressed to the Architecture Gallery with the instructions to not open the box until the show, and the contents of which are a mystery to the organizers. He struggles with the wire that has wrapped around the box, passing it off to David, who continues the process. As they continue to unravel the wire, Hartmann pans the camera around the busy room. Guests wonder at what might be inside the box.

39:29Copy video clip URL A lamp falls, breaking apart on the floor, David picking up the cracked pieces. Peter, now tasked with box duty, discusses his family history with the lamp, though he thinks it was “a fitting end.” The group jokes that the box is cursed.

42:53Copy video clip URL The group spots a bolt inside the box. Peter pries open the box, met with a note that repeats “Image of Home” over and over again and an architectural flip book.

45:29Copy video clip URL The mystery revealed, the crowd disperses and the men from the Architecture Gallery clean up the debris left behind from the process of opening the box. Hartmann talks with Randy and David about the next steps for the exhibit. Hartmann captures footage of the crowd at the show and talks about printing the July issue of Penthouse Magazine.

51:00Copy video clip URL Hartmann briefly passes off the camera to Randy, instructing him on how to use it to capture footage of the exhibit.

51:36Copy video clip URL Hartmann retakes the camera, chatting with Randy about how they might use the footage of the exhibit.

53:04Copy video clip URL Hartmann asks two patrons what they think of the show, one showing Hartmann an Australian postcard he “can’t figure out.” He also indicates his favorite, the pastel Randy had pointed out earlier. The patron and Hoffman compare the pastel postcard to Van Gogh’s work. Hartmann zooms in on one postcard done in pen and another that displays an altered photograph.

55:41Copy video clip URL Hartmann pans over several postcards. The patron points out a Rothko-esque postcard, as well as several others. Coleman briefly approaches Hartmann to discuss payment for his work videotaping the exhibit.

58:59Copy video clip URL Hartmann approaches another guest, an architect, asking him his thoughts on the exhibit. The architect mentions that a friend of his sent in a postcard and expresses his appreciation for the exhibit’s extension outside of the architecture world.

1:02:24Copy video clip URL Hartmann next approaches Grant, an architect who sent in a postcard to the exhibit. Grant explains how he found out about the exhibit, adding what he enjoys about the postcards in the gallery, and pointing out several postcards, including his own.

1:06:44Copy video clip URL Hartmann talks to a young woman about the exhibit and her favorite postcards.

1:09:11Copy video clip URL Hartmann approaches two men looking at a postcard, capturing a close-up of it before asking them about it. The architect walks Hartmann through the postcards he finds interesting and the techniques behind them.

1:12:50Copy video clip URL The young woman who appeared at the beginning of the video introduces Hartmann to Kimberly, who waves for the camera. Hartmann returns to capturing video of the exhibit’s guests and postcards.

1:13:52Copy video clip URL Coleman chats with Hartmann, going through the flipbook with him.

1:16:30Copy video clip URL Coleman talks about her favorite Images of Home, and, at Hartmann’s prompting, describes Wholesome Roc. “Wholesome Roc is the most alternative art space in America. That’s why we can bring the mail art here. Because we’re involved with the whole world, bringing art to the whole world, bringing people closer to art. Here you can actually touch the artwork. The other interesting part about Wholesome Roc is the musicians and poets that come through here, so you have the visual aspect but you also have the audio aspect. And you have great people like Kenn Hartmann who record it all so you can play it back.” Hartmann asks Coleman if Wholesome Roc has become what she expected it to be. Coleman expresses her happiness at the gallery’s success and explains how Wholesome Roc “has become more of a co-op type of place than a hush-hush type of place where you walk in and don’t speak to anybody,” and talks about her hopes for the future of Wholesome Roc.

1:24:15Copy video clip URL Hartmann tells Coleman how much being able to videotape at Wholesome Roc means to him compared to other places. Hartmann and Coleman chat about their plans for the video of the exhibit.

1:29:09Copy video clip URL Kimberly tells Hartmann her thoughts on the postcards. Though not an architect herself, Kimberly was “raised by architects.” Kimberly also enthuses about the accessible style of the exhibit. “I always get in trouble at art galleries because I touch everything. I think that’s what you’re supposed to do. I mean, when I make art, a lot of it is very tactile, and I like that. I like to see how they put it together, what’s in the back. Really what’s interesting is the comments.”

1:31:50Copy video clip URL Kimberly and Hartmann look through several postcards together. “It’s amazing that these people found out about this,” adds Kimberly. “That’s what I really like. A lot of different people responded from all over the world, and that’s pretty exciting. Get people motivated to see what they’re up to.” Kimberly shares that she believes the exhibit helps people remember the creativity they can find in their craft.

1:34:45Copy video clip URL Kimberly shows Greg, another guest, several postcards that caught her attention. Greg tells Hartmann he likes “the room size exhibit” located in another part of the gallery. Hartmann continues to capture different postcards displayed and checks in on his motorcycle parked outside.

1:41:38Copy video clip URL As Hartmann continues to capture postcards, text appears on the bottom left corner of the screen, noting the date, time, and whose tape it is (Kenn Hartmann).

1:45:16Copy video clip URL One patron, a film student at Columbia College, approaches Hartmann, asking him what the exhibit centers. Hartmann explains the idea behind the exhibit, then asks him what he thinks of it. Hartmann hands off the camera to the student, who films various shots of Wholesome Roc and its patrons.

1:54:17Copy video clip URL The student approaches a young woman looking at the postcards, asking her thoughts on them. She points out a couple that caught her eye. The student attempts to convince a reluctant young man to appear on camera but is unsuccessful and instead films different patrons from a distance.

2:03:05Copy video clip URL Static.