The US Postal Service is dropping in on Cowtown’s 21st Annual Phoenix Am Contest on Friday, March 24, 2023 to kick off the launch of their new Art of The Skateboard stamp series.
Fiercely independent and often rebellious, the skateboarding subculture crackles with raw creative energy. The bold artwork emblazoned on a skateboard deck is often as eye-catching and individualistic as a skater’s most breathtaking moves.
The stamps feature art by Crystal Worl, William James Taylor Jr, Federico “MasPaz” Frum, and Di’Orr Greenwood. For all the details (including special info for all you philatelists), please follow the jump.
The U.S. Postal Service will hold a dedication ceremony for four new stamps celebrating the Art of the Skateboard at Cowtown’s 21st annual Phoenix Am contest.
The first-day-of-issue event is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #ArtoftheSkateboardStamps.
Who:
The Honorable William Zollars, member, USPS Board of Governors
When:
Friday, March 24, 2023, at 11 a.m. MT
Where:
Desert West Skate Plaza
6602 W. Encanto Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85035
Background:
Fiercely independent and often rebellious, the skateboarding subculture crackles with raw creative energy. The bold artwork emblazoned on a skateboard deck is often as eye-catching and individualistic as a skater’s most breathtaking moves.
These four stamps celebrate the Art of the Skateboard with vibrant designs that capture skateboarding’s excitement and reflect the diversity and influences of the four artists whose work is featured:
Crystal Worl, an Alaskan artist used a blue and indigo salmon formline design to express her Tlingit/Athabascan heritage.
William James Taylor Jr, a self-taught Virginia artist created an energetic red and orange graphic abstraction.
Federico “MasPaz” Frum, a Colombian-born, Washington, D.C.-raised muralist painted a stylized jaguar.
Di’Orr Greenwood, of Arizona represented her Navajo culture with a turquoise-inlaid skateboard that features eagle feathers and colors of the rising or setting sun.
Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp issuance, using photographs of skateboards created for these stamps.
The Art of the Skateboard stamps are denominated as Forever stamps and will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at store.usps.com/store/home. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
FDOI – Art of the Skateboard Stamps USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50.
All orders must be postmarked by July 24, 2023.
How to Order First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the USA Philatelic catalog and online at store.usps.com/store/home. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic catalog online at http://usps.com/philatelic. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
FDOI – Art of the Skateboard Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
