Carly Toyzan: Was it a way to avoid the exclusivity of the art world?

In a way that too. If you want an audience for your work there is nothing easier as send it to the audience. Or arrange your own exhibition with a project. In Mail-Art the art world has no grip on what happens. For decades the art world didn't even know about the complete network. Ray Johnson did communicate with museums though. He corresponded a lot with Clive Philpot who was director of the MoMa Libarry in New York (see interview I did with him on http://www.iuoma.org/)