Postmark Center for the Arts is a rotating gallery space located in Auburn, Washington. The building was built in 1937 and served as Auburn's first post office but since has been converted into a hub for arts and culture. The main floor is dominated by a gallery and gathering space. The original post-office vault has been transformed into an inspiring and unique art installation space, The Vault Gallery. Exhibits rotate quarterly, and focus on providing art from a variety of backgrounds and interpretations.
Please visit our Visitor Information page for more.
Current Exhibition
POSTMARKED: Connecting Communities
July 24 - October 2, 2024
Photo: Postmarked Entrance
Postmarked: Connecting Communities is a mail-art project that aims at bringing creatives from all backgrounds together under one theme: What does community mean to you?
Postcards became an easy and quick way for individuals to communicate in the late 19th century and made it possible to bring experiences from all over the world to one another’s doorsteps. Postmark Center for the Arts, originally Auburn’s historic Post Office, is dedicated to empowering diverse communities by providing the opportunity to unite within the shared language of the arts.
In honor of Postmark’s upcoming one-year anniversary, this exhibition intends to capture the uniqueness and diversity of its own growing community, with a focus on themes of space, place, and identity. Hundreds of postcards will be on display, bringing definitions of community from artists of all ages and abilities together. The exhibition will be on view from July 24 – October 2, 2024. Visitors are encouraged to join in the creation of postcards in the Gallery.
Programming
Opening Reception
Postmark hosted an opening reception for the exhibit to celebrate this collaboration. Over 800 cards were present the evening of the opening including several 3-dimensional works breaking the boundaries of traditional mail-art. Families, artists, and community members alike attended to welcome this body of work to the Postmark building.
Creation Space
Visitors are asked to collaborate and add to the exhibit while it is on display. The Gallery has a built in creation space for guests to sit and add their own interpretation of the theme to the exhibition.
Upcoming Exhibition
A Familiar Taste
October 2024 - January 2025
The upcoming exhibition at the Postmark Center for the Arts Gallery will be a group exhibition titled A Familiar Taste, curated by Clarissa Grace Gines – a show highlighting narratives from artists of color through the lens of food and cultural foodways. Chosen artists will display their work speaking on the topic of their own food and culinary culture experience. This exhibition will feature an event with local chefs and opportunity for interactivity in recipe sharing.
View Previous Exhibitions