Oh Say Can You See
Freedom. Tamara White
The American Flag has been a ubiquitous image in artwork for centuries, possibly beginning with Jean Leon Gerome Ferris's painting of Betsy Ross and the flag that she likely didn't sew.
As a symbol of the original 13 Colonies and the 50 states of the Union, the colors of the flag are meant to represent hardiness and valor (red), purity and innocence (white), and vigilance, perseverance, and justice (blue). Yet, one must question our success as a country in carrying out these lofty ambitions. We certainly are not innocent or just. We are definitely hardy. And many walk amongst us who have persevered while overcoming tremendously adverse conditions. Through it all, the power of art has allowed us to question this monumental image.
Artist Faith Ringgold has used the American flag extensively in her work, including The Flag is Bleeding and Flag Story Quilt. The goal of Ringgold's work was to tell the story of what was really happening in America. In contrast, in 1954 Jasper Johns began using the flag to question what a painting is while creating a line of inquiry about such a recognizable object. In his career, Johns has created forty paintings based on the American flag.
With his piece titled 14,719, Hank Willis Thomas created blue banners stitched with rows of stars to represent the number of individuals killed by gunfire in the U.S. in 2018. Artist Sharon Daniels made the installation Pledge that featured Beverly Henry, an African-American woman who sewed flags, earning 65 cents an hour while incarcerated. The installation also featured a flag draped from the ceiling, "inscribed with quotes taken from constitutional amendments, and overlapped with testimonies of people whose rights have been violated." Through creative expression and visual activism, artists have found multiple ways to interrogate and expand the representation of freedom and what it means to be an American.
Today is an opportunity to continue to question the narrative that we have been fed since 1776. Let us follow Banksy's lead. In June of 2020, the artist created work that was a tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement and raises the question of who is responsible for solving the ongoing problems that plague our country:
“It's not their problem. It's mine. People of color are being failed by the system. The white system. Like a broken pipe flooding the apartment of the people living downstairs… This is a white problem. And if white people don't fix it, someone will have to come upstairs and kick the door in."
As the parade winds down, and the flags blowing in the wind go back into storage until next July, I am grateful for the capacity of art to say what words sometimes cannot. And thankful for the artists who dare to show us what we sometimes cannot see on our own.
Happy July 4. Stay safe. Stay wise.
trw