Dec. 8 (UPI) — The U.S. Postal Service has announced issue dates for the latest stamp in its “Love” series, as well as stamps that celebrate the Year of the Ox and honor nuclear physicist Chien-Shiung Wu.
The three stamps are to be issued within the first two months of 2021, beginning in three select cities throughout the United States and accompanied by virtual stamp dedication events shared on the USPS’ social media pages, according to a press release.
The “Love 2021” stamp, featuring original art by Bailey Sullivan and art direction by Greg Breeding, will lead off the new issues Jan. 14, in Loveland, Colo.
“The stamp art features a lighthearted and colorful digital illustration with the word ‘love’ and three large hearts shown in an unconventional palette of color duos, strikingly set against a dark blue background,” the USPS said.
On Feb. 2, a stamp featuring art of a blue ox mask by Camille Chew and directed by Antonio Alcala celebrating the Lunar New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Ox will be issued in Chicago.
“Calling to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed during Lunar New Year parades, these three-dimensional masks are a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk art crafts during this auspicious time of year,” USPS said.
The stamp honoring Wu, one of the top physicists of the 20th century, will be issued Feb. 11 in New York City. The stamp features original art by Kam Mak and art direction by Ethel Kessler.
“During a career that spanned more than 40 years in a field dominated by men, she established herself as the authority on conducting precise and accurate research to test fundamental theories of physics,” the Postal Service said.
