There is a flag for every imagined nation, identity and group. Tibetan Prayer flags hold intentions and promote peace as they wither to threads in the wind and sun.
The American flag has been revered, honored and proudly flown. It has been disregarded and abused. The current 50-star-13-stripe version was introduced in 1960 after the country grew from 48 states to 50. It has been printed on t-shirts, knitted into sweaters and baked into cakes. Some hang the flag outside their door all the time. Others bring it out for special occasions. Lately, some feel embarrassment for it.
June 14th is Flag Day. My parents were married on that day 75 years ago. The month of June is prime time for weddings, but I think they selected that day for a reason. My father was just a few years out of the Navy after WWII and reaping the rewards of having survived the war—attending college on the GI Bill and looking forward to an abundant future, a safe future.
The flag has also been a symbolic metaphor for artists. Three well-known artists have created series of art inspired by the American flag.
Jasper Johns (B. 1930) utilized the stars and stripes in a direct literal approach to his oil painting.
Claus Oldenburg (1929-2022) applied the use of muslin, plaster and wire to create his famous flag sculpture.
Barbara Kruger (B. 1945) enlisted commercial art processes to her feminist photo and word truisms and this Pledges of Allegiance series.
We are barraged with memes and quotes and words that may have once held so much weight but seem to float now like feathers. Still, sometimes the words can be grounding. Kruger’s questions are as relevant today as thirty-four years ago.
Living in this time of basic precarity, looking to hopeful symbols can offer a sense of possibility.
I sometimes sew these Celebration Flags to string about my residence and give as gifts. Inspired by prayer flags—spots of color and pattern meant only to flutter in the breeze as a token of cheer.
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