Stars, Stripes, and Reckoning: Threads of a Nation
curated by Tamara White and Kathryn Turley-Sonne
Flag #4. Cey Adams.
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?
The Crucifixion of Mary. V.L. Cox.
Selma to Montgomery, Will Henry ‘Do-Right’ looking back to left with homemade flag, 1965. Dan Budnik
Wall of Shame, Phil Buehler.
Separation. Brian Singer.
“I use the flag with the same respect that I treat everything I treasure—with the belief that you interrogate the things you love.”
Freedom. Tamara White
“The flag is soaked in the blood of my people... You want me to worship it?”
Obliterated Power (Supreme Court), Dread Scott
Close up of Wall of Shame.
‘Wall of Shame’ is the third in a collaborative project between Buehler and Radio Free Brooklyn, with the first being ‘Wall of Lies’, a 50-foot mural displaying over 20,000 lies told by Trump during his first term in office; the second, ‘Wall of Liars and Deniers’, a mural displaying the hundreds of Republican politicians running in the 2022 midterms who denied Biden’s fair election as President; and now ‘Wall of Shame’.
Unveiled on July 4th, 2025, this 50-foot-long by 10-foot tall mural features the pardoned January 6th rioters. The rioters’ stories, charges, and sentences were collected and fact-checked by NPR.