About This Stamp
In 2024, the U.S Postal Service issues the fifth of 12 stamps in the newest Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Dragon begins February 10, 2024, and ends on January 28, 2025.
The stamp features a colorful, three-dimensional mask depicting a dragon. Created out of paper, then cut, scored, and folded into shape, the mask is a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk-art crafts created during this time of year. The dragon is embellished with acrylic paint and other paper elements, like flowers and tassels. Gold and red are the predominant colors—gold signifying prosperity in the coming year, and red representing good fortune.
People born in the Year of the Dragon, the most auspicious sign in the Chinese zodiac, are said to be successful, wise, and powerful. Many Asian communities experience a baby boom because of the allure of the dragon, as many consider the sign to be favorable. In 2024, the Lunar New Year will mark the beginning of the Year of the Wood Dragon. Wood Dragons are said to be quieter and more introverted, but also successful, strong leaders who dedicate themselves fully to their work.
Beginning in 2020, in observance of the Lunar New Year holiday, the U.S. Postal Service introduced its third Lunar New Year series. This is the fifth Forever® stamp in that series, which will continue through 2031 with stamps for the Year of the Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original art by Camille Chew.
The Year of the Dragon 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
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.