George Takei to help dedicate new U.S. Postal Service Forever stamps to Japanese sculptor Ruth Asawa
George Takei will help the U.S. Postal Service dedicated the new Ruth Asawa Forever stamps this week. "George Takei" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
If you’re a Star Trek fan and a stamp fan, then you’ll want to know about an event coming up tomorrow. Sadly, there are no new Star Trek stamps on offer, but one Star Trek celeb is helping dedicate a new stamp series.
George Takei, Star Trek’s helmsman Sulu, will be helping with the dedication of a new set of stamps honoring Japanese sculptor Ruth Asawa. The United States Postal Service is hosting the event live tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, August 13th, at 1:30pm ET. If you’d like to join in and watch, you can do so on the USPS’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Ruth Asawa is known for her intricate abstract wire sculptures. From the USPS announcement: “Inspired by natural elements such as plants, snail shells, spiderwebs, insect wings and water droplets, Ruth Asawa transformed industrial material into transparent and seemingly weightless works of art that challenged traditional definitions of sculpture.” The USPS also notes that Asawa was a “tireless advocate of community-based arts education.” The stamps in her honor feature 10 of her designs.
Takei will be present at the event, in his capacity as trustee, chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees, and founding member of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Takei also has a personal connection to Asawa: they were both held in the same U.S. incarceration camp in World War II. In a statement from the Japanese American National Museum, Takei said, “We take great pride in the life and art of Ruth Asawa and congratulate her family on being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a Forever stamp. May this stamp live long and prosper.”
You can find out more about tomorrow’s event, and help support the U.S. Postal Service by pre-ordering a set of stamps for yourself, at usps.com/asawastamps.
