Seeing the World in Black and White
[The delights in between!], 2007
Cotton fabric and thread. 28″ x 56″
The American flag is a powerful, potent symbol of the United States. The structure and colors of the flag communicate a seemingly fixed narrative about who is and isn’t included and on what terms. In the flag series, I explore and attempt to reveal the persistent oversimplification of our national narrative. I am struck by how the conventional flag inherently glosses over, simplifies and excludes the stories of entire communities, white, black and everything in between the two extremes of domination and subordination.
While embracing the complexity of the racialized past and present of the United States, in my flag series, I try to imagine a different way to represent our nation. How could the symbol of our nation be transformed to more fully recognize the people who have built this country voluntarily or involuntarily, with enthusiasm or warily, in collaboration or in rebellion, to reveal that each community is integral to this place that we call home? What visual image might acknowledge our coming together and serve to remind us to have the courage to work together and to live by our highest values?
Is it possible for us to collectively delight in complexity, to be inspired by the rough edges of an unfinished project? To revel in the beauty of difference and possibility?
Seeing the World in Black and White
[The delights in between!], 2010
Cotton fabric and thread. 28” h x 56” w