About This Stamp
In 2027, the U.S. Postal Service honors the Year of the Goat with the eighth of 12 stamps in the latest Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Goat starts on February 6, 2027, and ends on January 25, 2028.
The current Lunar New Year series began in 2020 and will continue through 2031 with stamps commemorating the Year of the Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Art Director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps using original art by Camille Chew. The two previous Lunar New Year series ran from 1992 to 2004 and from 2008 to 2019. The first featured art by Clarence Lee and the second featured art by Kam Mak.
“I love the current series!” says Alcalá. “Whenever I speak about the stamp program to students or other professional designers, this Lunar New Year series always gets positive feedback. One woman even got a tattoo of the Year of the Rat artwork on her leg — truly a ‘forever stamp’!”
The Year of the Goat stamp features a three-dimensional multicolored goat mask. Reminiscent of the elaborate dragon and lion costumes used in dances and Lunar New Year parades, Chew’s pieces are a fresh take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk-art crafts created during this auspicious time of year.
After constructing the mask out of hand printed paper, Chew cut, scored, and folded it into shape. She then embellished the mask with acrylic paint and other paper elements, like flowers and tassels, and covered the back of the mask in a layer of papier-mâché. Finally, Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the mask on a white background for this series.
“Working with Camille has been wonderful,” says Alcalá. “She had a clear vision for how the series could unfold and it’s been a big success.”
Traditionally associated with peace and selflessness, people born in the Year of the Goat are said to be calm, creative, and kind. Lucky numbers for this sign are two and seven, and lucky flowers are carnations and primroses.
The Year of the Goat 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.