George Morrison stamp set for release April 22

Five stamps featuring the artwork of George Morrison will be unveiled the first day of release on April 22 in a ceremony held at 1 p.m. at the Grand Portage National Monument. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service will release a batch of new postage stamps featuring the artwork of the late Grand Portage artist George Morrison on April 22.

In the press release it stated George Morrison was, “One of the nation’s greatest modernist artists and a founding figure of Native American modernism. George Morrison (1919-2000) challenged prevailing ideas of what Native American art should be, arguing that an artist’s identity can exist independently from the nature of the art he creates. Morrison is best known for his abstract landscapes and monumental wood collages. A pane of 20 colorful stamps showcases five of Morrison’s artworks. The selvage features a photograph of the artist in his home studio. Antonio Alcalá was the art director and designer for this stamp pane.”

George was born in 1919 and lived in Chippewa City, about one mile out of Grand Marais. After high school he attended the Minneapolis School of Art and began a long career as a teacher and artist. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and studied art in France in 1952.

During his career he worked as a professor for the Dayton Art Institute, Cornell University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). But despite his many travels, George had a strong connection with Minnesota and his home, and he came back and taught for more than a decade at the University of Minnesota, not only in its fine arts department but also in its American Indian studies. After he retired George came home to Grand Portage where he continued to make beautiful art in his Red Rock studio located on Lake Superior in Grand Portage.

The Morrison stamps like the others soon to be released are miniature works of art, “are designed to be educational and appeal to collectors and pen pals around the world,” said USPS Stamp Services Director William Gicker.”