2008 RW75 PINTAILS

Description

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.