In this footage, JoAnn Elam follows postal workers during a protest that their unions organized in Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s. Prominently featured are signs from representatives of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), of which Elam was a member. Following the daytime protests, Elam also
This footage by JoAnn Elam was probably shot in San Francisco, where Elam spent the “Summer of Love” in 1967 and which she perhaps visited again later. First rapidly edited, the footage then slows down to focus on rows of houses, the street numbers on their fa?ades, and their mail slots. As 37th Av. &
This footage by JoAnn Elam was taken during the 52nd National Convention of the American National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) that was held in Atlanta, GA from August 10 through 16, 1980. From outside the Georgia World Congress Center, it shows the streets of Atlanta and its skyscrapers, as well as NALC delegates heading
Elam’s “Letters and Dishes” consists of two main sections. The initial sequence opens on white letters strewn about other clutter. The camera, mirroring the mess, flops about sketching the room slightly out of focus. In survey, Elam lays out three players: a figure donning full US Postal uniform (possibly Joe), a frizzed-hair woman putting herself