“As I engage with the American flag I’m wondering if my job is to mend/heal the wounds or preserve the artifact. What’s my responsibility as an artist? as an archivist? as an American? as a military child? To the past? to the future? to the country? to the flag? to freedom? to my father? Usually when I acquire items that have been cast away I don’t clean them- preferring the funk they bring from former use. But when I was given these old flags it hit different- I felt tender towards them. They seemed so vulnerable and spent. War torn and battered. I washed them each by hand before deciding next steps.”
— Winnie Van Der Rijn
The American flag is one of the most enduring and contested symbols in U.S. history. Woven into its fabric are the ideals of liberty and justice — but also the legacies of colonialism, slavery, displacement, and exclusion. While it was born out of revolution and resistance, the flag has long represented both the promise and the peril of American identity.
In recent years, the flag has been increasingly aligned with nationalist and far-right ideologies, including the MAGA movement, reshaping its public perception. For many, it has become a symbol not of unity, but of division. Yet throughout history, artists have responded to this evolution with nuance, critique, defiance, and transformation.
This exhibition reclaims the American flag as a site of reflection, confrontation, and possibility. Through a diverse range of works, participating artists interrogate the meanings stitched into “Old Glory” — exploring themes of belonging, resistance, patriotism, grief, and hope. They challenge us to look beyond the surface and consider: Whose flag is it? Who gets to define its meaning? And how can it be reimagined for a future rooted in equity, accountability, and truth?
Winnie van der RijnDrag Flag
