# 5512 - 2020 First-Class Forever Stamps - Ruth Asawa: Hanging Three-Lobed Continuous Form
US #5512
2020 Untitled Sculpture From 1954 – Ruth Asawa
- One of 10 stamps picturing different wire sculptures by Japanese- American artist Ruth Asawa
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Ruth Asawa
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: August 13, 2020
First Day City: San Francisco, California
Quantity Issued: 18,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor, block tag
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa and her contributions to the art and education worlds.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo of a Ruth Asawa wire sculpture.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The First Day of Issue postmark was from San Francisco, California, home to the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.
About the Ruth Asawa set: Includes 10 stamps picturing photographs by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo of different Ruth Asawa wire sculptures. The set celebrates Asawa’s art as well as her contributions to the field of education. It also honors the hardships she endured as a Japanese-American US citizen during and after World War II.
History the stamp represents: Ruth Asawa believed that art made people better. It led to more creative thinking and would improve any business they were a part of. This belief led Asawa to become a leading force in arts education in San Francisco.
From the 1960s onward, Asawa was involved in a number of initiatives to improve art education in public schools. But she also dreamed of opening a high school dedicated to the arts. She first submitted a proposal for such a school in the 1970s. In 1982, her dream was realized when the San Francisco School of the Arts admitted its first class of students. Four years later, the first class of seniors graduated.
Asawa remained active in the school for years, leading fundraising efforts and planning. Originally offering classes in art, dance, and music, the school expanded its focus to include creative writing, film, videography, architecture, and design. In honor of her contributions, the school was renamed in Asawa’s honor in 2010. The following year, it was recognized as a “California Distinguished School,” as one of the state’s most “exemplary and inspiring public schools.”
While she was celebrated as an artist, Ruth Asawa believed arts education was her real mission. When asked what her life’s most important work was, she always replied, “the schools.”
US #5512
2020 Untitled Sculpture From 1954 – Ruth Asawa
- One of 10 stamps picturing different wire sculptures by Japanese- American artist Ruth Asawa
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Ruth Asawa
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: August 13, 2020
First Day City: San Francisco, California
Quantity Issued: 18,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor, block tag
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa and her contributions to the art and education worlds.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo of a Ruth Asawa wire sculpture.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The First Day of Issue postmark was from San Francisco, California, home to the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.
About the Ruth Asawa set: Includes 10 stamps picturing photographs by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo of different Ruth Asawa wire sculptures. The set celebrates Asawa’s art as well as her contributions to the field of education. It also honors the hardships she endured as a Japanese-American US citizen during and after World War II.
History the stamp represents: Ruth Asawa believed that art made people better. It led to more creative thinking and would improve any business they were a part of. This belief led Asawa to become a leading force in arts education in San Francisco.
From the 1960s onward, Asawa was involved in a number of initiatives to improve art education in public schools. But she also dreamed of opening a high school dedicated to the arts. She first submitted a proposal for such a school in the 1970s. In 1982, her dream was realized when the San Francisco School of the Arts admitted its first class of students. Four years later, the first class of seniors graduated.
Asawa remained active in the school for years, leading fundraising efforts and planning. Originally offering classes in art, dance, and music, the school expanded its focus to include creative writing, film, videography, architecture, and design. In honor of her contributions, the school was renamed in Asawa’s honor in 2010. The following year, it was recognized as a “California Distinguished School,” as one of the state’s most “exemplary and inspiring public schools.”
While she was celebrated as an artist, Ruth Asawa believed arts education was her real mission. When asked what her life’s most important work was, she always replied, “the schools.”