Professor and assistant chair of the Illustration department Kam Mak contributed artwork to the U.S. Postal Service’s new The Figures of the American Revolution stamp pane—a specific group of postage stamps that are printed and sold as a single unit—issued in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The pane features honors 25 individuals whose ideas, leadership, and sacrifices were vital to achieving American independence and shaping the new nation. Featuring original artwork by 13 contemporary artists, the collection includes Mak’s portraits of former President John Adams and former first lady of Pennsylvania and Continental Army fundraiser Esther de Berdt Reed. The stamps’ release ceremony took place April 10 at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.
Mak has previously collaborated with the USPS on commemorative stamp projects, including the Bruce Lee Forever stamp. As a Hong Kong–born artist who immigrated to the United States as a child, Mak has spoken about how Bruce Lee became an important source of representation and inspiration during his 1970s youth in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
“Growing up as an immigrant kid, it was very tough,” Mak explained. “I have no one to idolize, have no one to look up to. Having Bruce Lee, a tough guy, someone that is actually a hero and [didn’t] always play a bad character … I just feel a sense of identity. I feel ‘Hey, he’s Chinese. I’m Chinese. I feel good about myself.’”
More than 50 years later, the young man who found himself through the artistry of Lee now can say he’s used his own talents to honor his childhood hero.