The collector: Brett Stern, Industrial Designer, Portland, Oregon.

The collection: Documantary photographs of rural mailboxes.

The story behind the collection...

One day I left the world and drove off into the wilderness. I was on my own Walden Pond quest and had come to live in the rural Southern Tier of New York State. As I traveled around these country roads to explore my local environment, I noticed mailboxes along the roadside. Though, most are your standard USPO approved tunnel shaped designs or the ugly green plastic molded Rubbermaid models, there are still a few mailboxes out there that have caught my eye. Whether because of their designs, creative variations or craftsmanship, these assemblages have made me stop by the side of the road and take a picture of them. Its been something to ponder while driving to reflect if they are a piece of sculptural art, sitting on top of a pedestal (their wooden post) or a form of idiosyncratic expression, fashioned for the whole world to witness.

No matter how far or fast we dive into the information age, we will always have regular mail. Though, we may all be carrying around smart phones or whatever the new communication gadget out, we still greatly rely upon the mail or as it is affectionately has become to be known as, “snail mail”. Even with our mailboxes overflowing with junk mail, bills and tax forms, there is still the occasion that we get something that makes us feel good when we go through the pile. A birthday card, a magazine, or pictures from a family event, these hard, tangible documents are coveted. Though most of us get our mail slipped through a slot in the front door of our homes, actual mailboxes still exist. Out there, in the rural countryside, along country roads and the byways of America.      

Are these creations a utilitarian object or some form of folk art? They are certainly indigenous to a particular region, that being the rural countryside. And they present some type of decorative skills by their makers. Somehow they offer a carryover of a type of object that could be considered from colonial times in that they combine a sense of charm and practical craftsmanship. Intrinsically what I see in them is a naive sense of design and an outgoing desire to create an object that expresses individualism and creativity. 

I’ve learned to keep one eye on the road and one eye on the side of road, while all the time watching out for road kill. And you definitely require a pickup truck to do this. An important criteria is that you need to fit into your environment to stalk these feral mailboxes in their natural habitat and sometimes the road you’re on is not paved. Interestingly, these unique mailboxes tend to associate in clusters.  Maybe it’s a keeping up with the Jones type of thing, but if I see one, there’s a good chance around the next bend of the road will be another. I’ve also noticed trends in my discoveries. Whereas, the older mailboxes tend to be grouped in categories, such as, farm animals/equipment and images to promote a particular work/trade, newer themes have emerged in what could be classified as patriotic and NASCAR topics. Sometimes combinations occur, like a racecar with an American flag hanging off the side.

The main thing to remember is that getting lost is not a bad thing. When you get to an intersection in the middle of nowhere, it’s only an opportunity to find another mailbox. You may not get cell phone reception everywhere, but the world is not flat and you will eventually get home.

All images © Brett Stern and used with his kind permission.

Brett's websites:

www.sururalism.com

www.brettstern.com