Artlife Foundation

Collections and Tours:To Preserve and display 275 issues of Artlife Limited Editions produced over 25 years by Joe Cardella. Each issue is a collection of art received from 30 to 40 artists from around the world who sent 150 original replications of their art, which were then bound for distribution to renowned museums and libraries; The Getty, Yale Library, Boston Museum of Fine Art, Los Angeles Public Library and other notable institutions. To Preserve and present over 400 pieces of art created by Cardella, still in place where he put them, are displayed at the ARTLIFE home studio. Volunteers contributed over 250 hours to sort and maintain these collections.Tours during the pandemic year tours of the home studio and collections were very limited. Only close-knit groups of four, who were families or close friends, were taken on tours. Tours to view the studio, art and the limited edition collections take approximately 75 minutes. The tours are educational in nature providing discussion of the various art movement that influence Cardella's work. In 2021, approximately were 45 people on tours. Volunteer docents contributed over a 100 hours and do some training preparing for and leading tours.

Exhibitions and Mail Art Shows: 2021 Pandemic restrictions prohibited public gathering. The ARTLIFE Foundation continued with its plans for a Mail Art Show to be displayed in Ventura, Calif. To work within restrictions we planned to exhibit the work in the windows of businesses in the pedestrian friendly Downtown district of Ventura. Over 250 pieces of art were received from 23 countries and displayed for 90 days with an estimated 2000 people viewing the exhibit. Volunteers contributed over 350 hours sorting cataloging and displaying the Mail Art Show.

Creative Mind: creates opportunities for conceptual exchange through promoting conversations and projects around the world that challenge artist and thinkers to reconsider their preconceptions about the definition and practice of art itself, and to inspire current and future generations of artists to pursue Innovative works and ideas. Through our online presence we actively encourage international artists to participate in exhibitions in Ventura Calif. In 2021, 129 artists became Contributing Artists at the ARTLIFE Foundation. In 2021, ARTLIFE established a relationship with a Romanian Arts organization and began a regular dialogue and exchange of art that has resulted in a working partnership for the advancement of Mail Art. ARTLIFE communicated with a Museum in Ukraine, a University in Berlin, a Social Arts organization in Milan, the Art Department at the Virginia Tech and the University of Austin to invite artists in those bodies to participate internationally. volunteers contributed over 150 hours communicating with local and international artists and arts organizations.