About This Stamp
In 2020, the U.S. Postal Service issues the first of 12 stamps in the third Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Rat begins January 25, 2020, and ends on February 11, 2021.
Utilizing blue as the predominant color — said to be one of the lucky colors for individuals born during the Year of the Rat—the rat mask in the stamp design incorporates elements with symbolic meaning. Several of the patterns were created with the style of Asian textiles in mind and the circle in the center of the rat’s head represents the new moon on which the Lunar New Year begins. A pop of the very lucky color red ties the design in with other common celebratory decorations.
The rat is the first of the 12 zodiac animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. Many ancient fables and legends explain the origin of the zodiac signs. The most common story tells of the animals racing across a river to determine their order in the cycle.
As with other zodiac signs, personality traits and other attributes are often associated with people born in the year of a particular animal. Those born during the Year of the Rat may be seen as very clever, self-aware, and highly social.
Lunar New Year is the most important holiday of the year for many Asian communities around the world and is primarily celebrated by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Malaysian, and Filipino heritage. Across these varied cultures, many traditions exist for ringing in a new year of good luck and prosperity.
Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original artwork by Camille Chew.
The Year of the Rat stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in panes of 20. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer, Stamp Artist
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 Artist
Camille Chew
Camille Chew grew up in Ithaca, New York, in a family that encouraged creative expression. She studied fine art with a concentration in printmaking at Alfred University and is currently pursuing her MFA in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design.
After college, Chew used social media to promote her art while interning at a print shop in her hometown. Through her online posts, she gained her first clients. Since then, she has been working as a printmaker, exhibiting artist, and freelance illustrator. Her client list includes Quirk Books, the Asian American Literary Review, Quanta Magazine, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and CICADA magazine.
With a colorful, graphic style that incorporates intricate patterns and symbols, Chew uses her work to explore themes of mythology and fantasy. A magical flair gives her art a quirky sensibility while clean lines provide a contemporary take on her subjects.
Chew lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island.
She was commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service to design the 12-year Lunar New Year stamp series that began in 2020 and will continue through 2031.