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Semina was artist Wallace Berman’s (1926-1976) publication, a “journal” of poems and artworks delivered free to contributors and Berman’s friends. Typically not more than a couple hundred copies of each issue were printed and then distributed through the postal service. Semina was mail art before mail art was a thing, and Berman was avant-garde of the avant-garde. His humble approach to inclusive creativity had great impact.

He made nine issues between 1955 and 1964.

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Semina 2, December 1957. Cover photo by Charles Brittin, showing Suzi Hicks. Back cover by Wallace Berman Reproduced in Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and his Circle
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Semina 1, 1955. Cameron. Untitled (“peyote vision”). Ink drawing. Cameron (her full name was Marjorie Cameron Parsons Kimmel, but she preferred to go by the mononym) was an artist, poet, actress and occultist. She was married to rocket pioneer and fellow occultist Jack Parsons. This artwork was featured in Berman's 1957 exhibition at Los Angeles' Ferus Gallery. The authorities claimed the drawing was lewd, and cops raided the exhibition and shut it down. Following this experience, both Berman and Cameron refused to show art in commercial galleries. Reproduced in Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and his Circle
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Photo by Charles Brittin. Front porch of Charles Brittin’s apartment, Venice, 1955. Reproduced in Charles Brittin: West and South

Bibliography