Inviting people from across the world to send handmade postcards Credit: Shutterstock/PaulSat
A small art school in the Marina Alta is inviting people from across the world to send handmade postcards to a Spanish town, with the creative project set to raise money for a local community organisation.
The Escola Municipal de Plàstica Experimental A. Vives in Gata de Gorgos, Alicante province, has launched an international Art Postal initiative that combines traditional letter-writing, artistic expression and fundraising.
The idea is simple: create an original piece of art on a postcard, send it through the traditional postal service and allow it to become part of an exhibition where visitors can purchase the works through voluntary donations.
The money raised will go to TAPIS, a local organisation in Gata de Gorgos.
How a personal project became an international art initiative
The idea originated with Moon, an artist and dancer based in Jávea who joined the municipal art school last year.
After buying a pack of 100 blank postcards, she began making small handmade creations to send to her children and friends living in different parts of the world.
Her experiments included different artistic techniques, and the postcards gradually accumulated. Some were displayed on recipients’ fridges, while others prompted people to reply with their own letters and creations.
Moon eventually realised that the activity could become something bigger than a personal correspondence project.
She approached Josep Ginestar, an artist and teacher at the school, at the beginning of the new academic year, suggesting that students and members of the public could take part in a collective initiative.
The result is an open invitation to artists, beginners and children to contribute original postcard-sized creations from wherever they live.
Why the postcards must travel without envelopes
One of the most distinctive features of the project is that every postcard must be sent through the ordinary postal service without an envelope.
Participants cannot simply deliver their artwork directly to the school.
The journey itself is considered part of the finished piece, with stamps, postmarks and handwritten messages adding an extra layer of meaning to each creation.
Organisers want to display both sides of the postcards when the exhibition opens, preserving the artwork alongside evidence of its journey across the postal network.
The project also offers a gentle reminder of a disappearing tradition at a time when emails, instant messaging and digital notifications dominate everyday communication.
Rather than arriving immediately on a screen, each contribution will have travelled physically from its sender to Gata de Gorgos.
There is no requirement for participants to have formal artistic training. Drawings, paintings, ink work, prints and other experimental techniques are all welcome.
Moon recommends using sturdy card or watercolour paper weighing around 300 grams per square metre, helping ensure the artwork can withstand its journey without an envelope.
How to send an artwork to Gata de Gorgos
Postcards should measure approximately 14.8 by 10.5 centimetres, with an original piece of art on the front.
On the reverse, stamps and the delivery address must be placed on the right-hand side. A message can be added on the left, while the creator’s name and country of origin should appear in capital letters along the bottom. An email address is optional.
The address is:
Escola Municipal de Plàstica Experimental A. Vives
Carrer Xaló, 39
03740 Gata de Gorgos, Alicante, Spain
The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2026.
When visitors can see the international collection
The exhibition is scheduled to open at the school on December 16 at 7pm, bringing together the postcards received from participating artists around the world.
It will remain open until January 9, 2027, from Wednesday to Saturday between 4pm and 9pm.
Visitors will be able to take home a piece of original art through voluntary donations starting at €5, with the proceeds supporting TAPIS.
Any postcards that remain unsold will become part of the school’s collection.
For now, organisers are waiting to discover how far the invitation will travel and how many creations will arrive before the deadline.