Back to RW75 Back to the Federal Index Home
A LITTLE HISTORY ON THE 75th (2008-09) DUCK STAMP ARTIST
Wildlife artist Joe Hautman of Plymouth, Minn.,
today won the 2007 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest – the oldest and most
prestigious wildlife art competition in America – with his depiction of a pair
of pintail ducks. Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
announced the winner in front of a crowd of 300 people at the contest, held at
BIG Arts in Sanibel, Fla.
“It was a privilege for me to congratulate Joe Hautman when the judges chose his
art to grace the 75th Duck Stamp,” said Secretary Kempthorne. “The Duck Stamp
program is unique in the realm between art and conservation. This art will be
transformed into an equally beautiful stamp and help protect wetlands by
generating funding through the sale of that stamp to hunters, stamp-collectors
and conservationists. People talk about how art can change the world, and the
Duck Stamp is an excellent example. You just need to look at the more than five
million acres of waterfowl habitat protected by their purchase using funds from
the stamp for proof of the power of this art.”
Hautman’s painting – chosen from among 247 entries from artists across the
country – will be featured on the 2008-2009 Federal Duck Stamp which will go on
sale in late June 2008. Federal Duck Stamp sales raise about $25 million each
year to fund wetland habitat acquisition for the National Wildlife Refuge
System. The annual Federal Duck Stamp Contest is the only federally-sponsored
juried art competition, and is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This
year’s contest crowns the winner of the 75th duck stamp since the program’s
inception in 1934. Before 1949, a commission selected the design.
"This was the most exciting Duck Stamp contest in history,” said H. Dale Hall,
Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “To have a three-way tie for
first place, then to have the artist and his family right here in the audience,
was fantastic. We’re going to continue to move this contest around the country
to give the public a chance to own this.”
The competition was surrounded by a week of public events at J.N. “Ding” Darling
National Wildlife Refuge and BIG Arts celebrating the life of artist,
conservationist and creator of the Duck Stamp, J.N. “Ding” Darling. Born in
1876 in Michigan, Darling was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his
conservation-themed cartoons. He also served as Chief of the Bureau of
Biological Survey, the forerunner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, from
1934-1935. Darling’s conservation legacy remains the foundation for the
broad-based support and strategic vision of North America’s successful waterfowl
management efforts.
Joe Hautman won the Federal Duck Stamp contest in 1992 and 2002. He has also won
multiple state Duck Stamp contests. His brothers, Bob and Jim, are also
multiple Federal Duck Stamp Contest winners.
Hautman attended the Federal Duck Stamp contest this year with his family. The
audience gave him a standing ovation when his art was chosen as the winning
piece.
“I’ve been to a lot of Duck Stamp contests, and this is the most exciting one
I’ve been to,” Hautman said. “I’d like to thank my family, and the Fish and
Wildlife Service, who turns this artwork into wetlands and ducks.”
Hautman’s winning art depicts two pintails—a male and female—nestled gracefully
atop reeds in a marsh.
--------------------THE ART--------------------
Pintails information to come later
--------------------THE STAMP--------------------
Plates Issued: Offset/microprinting, FWS Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta,Yellow. Artist: Joseph Hautman, Plymouth, MN Modeler: Joseph Sheeran Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU). First Day of Sale: June 27, 2008, Hanover, Maryland Issue: Seventy-fifth Duck Stamp ($15.00 commemorative stamp), Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) Item 33800. Quantity Sold: N/A.
First Article/Design and Production Sheets: WAG or PSA.
Inscription: Front - " The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2008-2009. Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp. 75th Anniversary. Artist:Joseph Hautman. Northern Pintails. If applicable sign, peel and attach to hunting license. Peel Here
Back - Barcodes "333800" in four positions .Verso-text. ordering information.