Great art comes in small mailboxes 

Nestled within Pawson House, Mailbox Art Space is a vibrant “alternative” gallery showcasing a diverse array of exhibitions both inside and outside of 19 restored mailboxes.

Currently managed by Alice Dickens and Shell Odgers, the pair relaunched the space in 2023 after it had been closed for a few years due to the pandemic.

Despite both working full-time jobs, Alice and Shell are passionate volunteers who have breathed new life into this unique space.

“We met working at Heide Museum of Modern Art and saw an open call-out for a team of new directors to take over the running of the mailboxes,” Alice and Shell told CBD News.

We applied because we wanted to contribute towards this iconic space and were lucky enough to be successful. We relaunched the space with a retrospective exhibition of work by former Mailbox directors and artists as a way to celebrate the past and look forward to a bright future.

Established in 2007 by curators Martina Copley and Shanley McBurney as “Mailbox 141,” the space has seen a rotating lineup of directors who have curated an impressive variety of exhibitions and worked with various festivals including Craft Cubed, Midsumma, and Melbourne Fringe. 

“Each year we advertise for expressions of interest from artists via social media and email. We then review these applications to program the year. We also attend end-of-year grad shows to engage tertiary-level artists and to curate group shows,” Alice and Shell said.

“We feature all types of art as long as they fit within the miniature parameters of the mailboxes. Over the years this has included painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, found object, jewellery, photography, textiles, you name it. There have also been performances, artist and curator talks, readings, and other forms of performance art.”

A true hidden secret, the Mailbox Art Space offers a remarkable opportunity for students and emerging or mid-career artists to engage with the space’s creative challenges. 

Alice and Shell are also excited to share that the 2025 exhibitor callout will be launching soon, encouraging people to keep an eye on their social media. 

“Working with new and emerging artists and helping them to develop their practice and display their work in a novel space is very rewarding,” they said. 

“People love finding the space, whether they sought it out specifically or discovered it by mistake. The tiny scale of the works encourages visitors to get up close and really hone in on the pieces.”

Mailbox Art Space is located at 141-143 Flinders Lane in Pawson House.

This article is proudly supported by Hidden Secrets Tours Melbourne.