About This Stamp
The U.S. Postal Service honors pioneering marine biologist Eugenie Clark (1922–2015) with the release of a commemorative stamp. Affectionately known as the “Shark Lady,” Clark conducted many important studies that provided fascinating insights into shark biology and worked tirelessly to change public perception about sharks.
The stamp art features a digital collage created by multidisciplinary artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. Phingbodhipakkiya's design includes a photograph of Clark taken by David Doubilet as well as a photograph of a lemon shark taken by Reinhard Dirscherl. Wavy blue elements in the stamp's background evoke an undersea scene.
Clark earned the nickname “Shark Lady” for her well-publicized work as director of the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory (now the Mote Marine Laboratory) on Florida's west coast from 1955 to 1967. In a series of groundbreaking experiments, Clark demonstrated that lemon sharks could be trained to do complex tasks and debunked myths about sharks as vicious, fearsome creatures. She also made significant contributions to the study of hermaphroditism in fishes.
A prolific scientist animated by an unyielding sense of curiosity, Clark carried out more than 200 expeditions across the globe during her career. One of her most unforgettable moments occurred in 1973. At the request of local divers, Clark traveled to Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula to study a group of requiem sharks that appeared to be sleeping at the bottom of an undersea cave. After 99 subsequent dives, Clark and her team determined that they had discovered a “cleaning station,” an area where water conditions caused parasites to release their grip from the motionless sharks. Their discovery helped disprove the notion that some shark species must keep swimming in order to survive.
Clark's enthusiasm for sharks and for the preservation of marine environments around the world was infectious. She published more than 175 scholarly and popular scientific articles and narrated several film and television documentaries. Crowds of fascinated listeners of all ages packed her public talks. For her contributions to marine science, she received the Franklin L. Burr Award from the National Geographic Society, the Explorers Club Medal, and the Medal of Excellence from the American Society of Oceanographers, among numerous other recognitions.
Antonio Alcalá served as art director for this stamp.
The Eugenie Clark stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director
Antonio Alcalá
Antonio Alcalá served on the Postmaster General’s Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 2010 until 2011, when he left to become an art director for the U.S. Postal Service's stamp development program.
He is founder and co-owner of Studio A, a design practice working with museums and arts institutions. His clients include: the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Phillips Collection, and Smithsonian Institution. He also lectures at colleges including the Corcoran College of Art + Design, SVA, Pratt, and MICA.
In 2008, his work and contributions to the field of graphic design were recognized with his selection as an AIGA Fellow. He has judged international competitions for the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, AIGA, and Graphis. Alcalá also serves on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Poster House Museum’s advisory councils. His designs are represented in the AIGA Design Archives, the National Postal Museum, and the Library of Congress Permanent Collection of Graphic Design.
Alcalá graduated from Yale University with a BA in history and from the Yale School of Art with an MFA in graphic design. He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.
Stamp Designer, Stamp Artist
Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
A multidisciplinary artist, educator, and STEM advocate, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya uses large-scale murals, augmented reality (AR), and 3D printed sculptures to render the invisible visible. Through her art she has explored microscopic universes, familial memories, and the power of collective action to catalyze change. Her work invites people to engage physically and digitally, challenging viewers to rethink the world around them, from the physical places they occupy, to their sense of belonging and identity, to their expectations for the future. Phingbodhipakkiya’s AR-enabled portrait series, “Beyond Curie” (2017–present), which celebrates unsung women in science, is permanently installed at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and was named by Fast Company as one of the most innovative products in 2019. Her large-scale murals in downtown Atlanta (Together We, 2018) and Des Moines, Iowa (A Place to Grow, 2019) highlight the power and potential of young men and women of color. “Connective Tissue” (2019), her solo exhibition of collected works at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, received special recognition from Congresswoman Susie Lee for the “use of art, technology, and science to bring society closer together.” Recognized by Forbes, Smithsonian magazine, and The New York Times, Phingbodhipakkiya’s work has been featured on Google and shown at the Cooper Union, the Sorbonne, and the TEDWomen Summit.
Phingbodhipakkiya was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Thai and Indonesian immigrants. She earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Columbia University and worked as a researcher studying Alzheimer’s disease at Columbia Medical Center before receiving an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute in 2015. Currently an artist in residence at the NYC Commission on Human Rights, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Eugenie Clark (2022) is Phingbodhipakkiya’s first stamp project for the U.S. Postal Service.