Antonio Alcalá

Keynote: Letterpress “Forever”: Printing a First-class Stamp

What is it like to work as an art director for the United States Postal Service? How is stamp artwork chosen? What exactly goes into preparing that one square inch that will last forever? USPS art director Antonio Alcala will demystify the stamp making process from concept to finished piece, and highlight projects where letterpress is the star. Heather Moulder will join him to talk about her experience creating the 2024 Bluegrass stamp artwork, and the impact a project like this can have in a rural community.

Workshop: Wish You Were Here: Greetings from Two Rivers

Work with USPS art director Antonio Alcala and Bluegrass stamp designer Heather Moulder to create your own letterpress printed postcard. Participants will utilize the Silver Buckle collection to create their own mailable ephemera, either by their own design, or by utilizing provided hand carved illustrations. Bring your own postage and we’ll finish off the postcards with a special Wayzgoose-only cancellation stamp.

Antonio Alcalá is founder and co-owner of Studio A, a design practice working with museums and arts institutions. He also art directs and designs postage stamps for the United States Postal Service, and lectures at schools including the Corcoran College of Art + Design, SVA, Pratt, and MICA. Alcalá’s work and contributions to the field of graphic design were recognized with his selection as an AIGA Fellow. He has judged competitions including AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers, the Society of Illustrators 61, American Illustration 40, and Graphis Design. He also serves on Poster House museum’s CMYK Council, and the Smithsonian National Postal Museum’s advisory council. 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.

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