Skateboarding enshrined in USPS forever stamps
Four new forever postage stamps designed by as many different artists in recognition of “the art of the skateboard” will be inaugurated by the United States Postal Service (USPS) at an amateur skateboarding competition in Phoenix, Arizona, on March 24.
The annual contest, Phoenix Am, celebrates its twenty-first anniversary this year.
Alaskan artist Crystal Worl’s design paid tribute to her Tlingit-Athabascan ancestry, using formlines to depict salmon in blue and indigo hues, whereas Arizona's Di’Orr Greenwood represented her own Navajo heritage with a deck inspired by eagle feathers and the colours of a rising or setting sun.
Meanwhile, Virginia-based creative William James Taylor Jr presented a bold, abstracted red-and-orange graphic evocative of skateboarders’ creative and individualistic approach. Colombian-born Federico “MasPaz” Frum, a street muralist raised in Washington, DC, painted a jaguar in his own distinctive style.
The stamps themselves were designed by art director Antonio Alcalá, based on photographs of the original work.
A member of the USPS board of governors, the Honourable William Zollars, will formally dedicate the stamps on their first day of issue during a free public event at 11 am MST.
Those who would like to attend are encouraged to register in advance here.
Image: USPS.
