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Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Flags, 2005. Gift from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Chazan. ©Annu Palakunnathu Matthew & sepiaEYE

Introduction

Former Glory

July 27, 2018 - January 20, 2019

The American flag is an icon of patriotism, imbued with political gravitas and cultural significance. In 1824, Captain William Driver was gifted an American flag that would accompany him on many voyages during his 20-year career. He allegedly wrote, "It has ever been my staunch companion and protection. Savages and heathens, lowly and oppressed, hailed and welcomed it at the far end of the wide world. Then, why should it not be called Old Glory?"

This exhibition considers Old Glory—a term that has come to refer to all U.S. flags—in the context of our time. This administration’s desire to restore the United States to its “former glory,” making it ”great” again, reimagines a bygone era that may never have existed, stoking a nostalgia sustained by bigotry. As a representation of national identity, the flag supposedly represents a diversity of people, but it has also been used to substantiate ideas of American exceptionalism and exclusion.

Spanning more than 150 years, the objects in this gallery question our emotional connections to the flag by exploring its messages across domestic and international communities. Humorous, confrontational, critical, and sentimental, these varied works acknowledge and reflect on American nationalism and our complex histories.

Selected Objects

American

Know-Nothing Party Banner, ca. 1850

Ed Rossbach

Western Star, 1989

Heywood Strasser & Voigt Lithographic Company, printer

Remember! The Flag of Liberty: Support it! Buy U.S. Government Bonds, 1918

Sándor Bodó

Flag, 1991

Richard Hamilton, designer

Kent State, 1970

American, Philippines

Louisiana Purchase Exposition Souvenir Textile, after 1904

Garry Winogrand

New York City, 1969

James Van Der Zee

Marcus Garvey and Garvey Militia, Harlem, 1924, printed ca. 1973

Anderson Bros., printer

Betsy Ross Commemorative Handkerchief, early 1900s

American

Suppport Our Boys in Cambodia, ca. 1970

American

Untitled, ca. 1970

Klaus Maertens

Men’s Shoes with Flag Pattern, ca. 1990

Allen Saallburg

Your War Bonds are a Stake in the Future, 1943

Dave Cole

American Flag (Toy Soldiers #12), August 2002

Art Hazelwood

Habeas Corpus Poster, 2006

Xander Marro

Be Patriotic, Dirt Palace, 2002

Jungil Hong

Bombs Can't..., Dirt Palace, 2002

Annu Palakunnathu Matthew

Flags, 2005

Faith Ringgold

Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 2008

Duane Slick

Vestige (3AM Light), 2010

Brad Kayal (b. 1978)

Job Creator, 2011

Ronnie Goodman

The Birth of Occupy, 2012

Jessica Deane Rosner

The Election Gloves, 2011 - 2013

Megan Foster

Untitled, 2017

Tasha Dougé

See No, Hear No, Speak No Justice, 2016

Tasha Dougé

Justice Afterglow, 2016

Tasha Dougé

The Eclipse of Justice, 2016

Kahlil Robert Irving

"Many Men, many, many, many, many men, wish death pon me,”, 2017

More objects +

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