Postal Service issuing 2022 stamps honoring the artwork of George Morrison

The U.S. Postal Service has revealed a list of new stamps to be issued in 2022. Among the upcoming stamps are those that honor important historical figures, such as folk singer Pete Seeger and sculptor Edmonia Lewis, the first African American and Native American sculptor to achieve international recognition, and more. Among the honorees is the acclaimed Ojibwe artist George Morrison. 
 

Making the announcement, the U.S. Postal Service explains that the agency is honoring Morrison (1919-2000) with a pane of 20 stamps showcasing five of his abstract artworks. The selvage (the additional artwork that comes with a sheet or book of stamps) will feature a photograph of Morrison in his home studio. 
 

The George Morrison Forever stamps will be unveiled by the U.S. Postal Service at a release ceremony sometime in 2022. 

“The new 2022 stamps are miniature works of art, designed to be educational and appeal to collectors and pen pals around the world,” said USPS Stamp Services Director William Gicker in the news release. 
 

“As always, the program offers a variety of subjects celebrating American culture and history. The vivid colors and unique designs of this year’s selections will add a special touch of beauty on your envelopes,” he said.
 

In addition to the abstract expressionist paintings included in the U.S. Postal Service commemorative set, Morrison’s works include wood collages, such as The Totem in the atrium of the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic in Grand Marais. 
 

Morrison grew up outside of Grand Marais in the Ojibwe village called Chippewa City. He attended the Minneapolis School of Art in Minneapolis in the early 1940s and went on to study in New York. A 1952 Fulbright scholar, Morrison continued his studies in Paris and Antibes, France.
 

Morrison taught art at various colleges, including Cornell, Dayton Art Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, and Pennsylvania State University. In 1970, he took a position at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he taught Native American studies and art.
 

Although he lived most of his adult life in a variety of large cities – he eventually returned to Cook County in his later years, working at his Red Rock home studio until his death in 2000.