The CalArts Pool Fisheye Snapshot

Cassia Streb (Music 06)

Cassia Streb (Music 06) writes in: “Since March 2020, we’ve all watched the music community struggle to pivot to online creation in the wake of the pandemic. I’ve seen artists and audiences seeking connection but lacking infrastructure, especially infrastructure to pay artists for their work. My colleague, cellist Jennifer Bewerse and I decided to do something to try and help. We were inspired by former CalArts faculty member James Tenney’s Postal Pieces to use the metaphor of mail to create a connection between artists and audiences. Letters are how you send love when you can’t be there; they say ‘I made this for you, I care.’ With email we can send a wider range of special deliveries—sounds and videos—allowing digital creations to foster personal connections. Both types of mailings are symbols for shared time over distance. Upon arrival, the message is old, but the intimacy and connection transcend that distance. And so, Music for Your Inbox was born; a subscription service that mails experimental art to people who want to make art a regular part of their lives. Each month, subscribers receive a creatively directed video of experimental music performance via email and a corresponding postcard of visual art via surface mail. We pay musicians and visual artists upfront for their work, so our subscribers know that their fees go directly into the pockets of the artists whose work they are enjoying. Because of incredible support from Lauren Pratt (music/work advisor; associate producer for music, REDCAT), who helped us secure funding through a private foundation, we are launching our initial season on Nov. 15, 2020! We’re thrilled to feature work by CalArts experimental musicians and artists, such as alumni Stephanie Cheng Smith, Katie Eikam, Eric KM Clark, James Klopfleisch, Liam Mooney, and (fittingly) music by Tenney.”  musicforyourinbox.com

Cassia Streb (Music 06)