TAL Blogs

 

In this issue:

Hanson's Happy Holidays

Dec 10 Cultural Evening

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Happy Holidays From the Hansons!

An Annual Tradition Since 1985

 

"I started collecting Dept 56 houses back in 1985 when I saw the first ones at a JC Penney when I was living in Phoenix," Gene Hanson said.

"The attraction was immediate, and all I could think was how neat it would be to collect enough of them to have a snow village. But at $30 a piece they seemed too pricey, so I passed.

"But back in the day when everything for Christmas would go on sale for half price on the 26th, I went back and purchased whatever they had left."

Gene and Deb have been collecting ever since. This year's display includes 94 lighted buildings plus some 425 people, four skating rinks, a moving trolley, flying Santa and sleigh, an art gallery and museum, a moving carousel, a football game, a full moon and lots more — the list is almost endless.

Come and enjoy at the TAG coffee they're hosting on Jan. 8. Another Happy Holiday Season is ready at the Hanson's!

 

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Flying Masterpieces:
The Art of the Postage Stamp

Seeing Art Everywhere

 

PhxArt Docent Lisa White & Judy Rubin

Postage-stamp art is one of the most widely viewed art forms in America — and not what you'd usually think of as "art". Docent Lisa White from the Phoenix Art Museum shared the history of American stamp art and the creative challenges of stamp design at TAL's second Cultural Evening of the season on December 10.

Lisa introduced us to many of the artists — more than 20 of whom are currently represented at the Phoenix Art Museum — who bring these tiny works of art to life.

Here are a few fun facts from her presentation:

• The Georgia O'Keefe "Red Poppy" stamp is one of the most widely circulated.
• The Frida Kahlo stamp was designed by a Scottsdale artist and was issued in Phoenix in 2001.
• The first Christmas stamps were issued in the 1960s.
• Introduced in 2007, by 2011 all first class postage stamps became the "Forever" stamps we use now, saving the hassle of having to by "catch-up" stamps worth a few cents to augment older first class stamps.

 

The First Stamps

In 1847 the first U.S. postage stamps were issued. The stamps were issued at fixed prices, a big change from the previous method of determining the cost of postage based on the number of sheets in a letter and the distance it would travel. The 5- and 10-cent stamps issued then were engraved with images of Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster General, and George Washington respectively.

 

The Elvis Stamp Vote

In 1992 a public vote was taken to determine whether a Young Elvis or an Old Elvis would be depicted on an Elvis commemorative stamp. A whopping 1.2 million votes were cast. More than 75 percent of voters preferred the Young Elvis design.

 

Stamps For a Cause

In 1998 the first stamp with a surcharge for a cause was introduced to support breast cancer research. The concept was proposed by U.S. Postal Service art director Ethel Kessler, herself a breast cancer survivor and champion of breast cancer research. Since then the stamp has raised more than $98 million for the cause.