CHARLES AND RAY EAMES STAMPS PUBLICITY KIT
POSTAL BULLETIN 22233 (5-22-08)
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Charles and Ray Eames Stamps Publicity Kit This publicity kit contains material designed to help you develop, plan and implement local events:
Suggested publicity ideas for developing local stamp events.
Background information on Charles and Ray Eames and the 16 stamps.
Fill-in news release for Eames events.
A list of museums with collections that feature the Eames’ work.
A list of Herman-Miller galleries where Eames furniture can be found.
Sample media advisory.
Public Affairs and Communications (PAC) contacts.
Please use this publicity kit to help develop and plan your stamp dedication events. Be sure to contact your PAC field representative early in the planning process. The field managers listed on page 6 can assist you in maximizing your publicity opportunities.
Overview In June the Postal Service™ will dedicate a pane of 16 stamps to honor designers Charles and Ray Eames. Perhaps best known for their furniture, they were husband and wife as well as design partners. Their extraordinary body of creative work — reflecting the nation’s youthful and inventive outlook after World War II — also included architecture, films and exhibits. The Eameses used new materials and technology to create high-quality products that addressed everyday problems and made modern design, including the molded plywood chair, available to the American public. The Eames stamps will be dedicated June 17 at the Eames Office in Santa Monica, California. A special unveiling ceremony will take place the week prior at the NeoCon design conference in Chicago, Illinois, where 50,000 people are expected to attend. Information on the stamps will be included in the daily conference newsletter, and those attending will have the opportunity to pre-order stamps. These colorful and provocative stamps provide the Postal Service with an opportunity to educate the public about elements of modern design as well as reach out to the design community by staging local dedication events and other activities that bring together postal representatives, designers, art design students and other stakeholders.
Suggested Publicity Ideas for Stamp Dedication Events and Related Activities There are many opportunities available for promoting the Charles and Ray Eames stamps, particularly the design community, including art design students, educators and other postal stakeholders.
Nationally, PAC has worked with the Eames Office and Herman Miller galleries to identify museums and galleries where Eames work can be found. If there are museums or Herman Miller galleries near you, please involve them in your planning process.
To schedule an event in a museum, start first with the PR contact on the list included in this kit. Ask if tickets could be made available to attendees to tour the museum as part of the event.
The Eames stamps provide an opportunity for outreach to local colleges and university art design departments. Contact the dean of the art department and ask to meet with him/her to discuss the Charles and Ray Eames stamps. Ask if the art department is interested in hosting an on-campus event that brings working designers and art design students together. Suggest a mix-and-mingle format and schedule the event at a time that will maximize news coverage potential. Don’t forget the student newspaper to promote the event. This event might include an introduction of the stamp designs by the postmaster, along with a panel discussion of modern design with local artists and educators serving as panelists.