More than just a cloth banner hung on a pole or draped across buildings, the American flag is often interpreted in many forms as art. Old Glory has been voted a means of artistic expression repeatedly by citizens who paint various versions on everything from the sides of barns to mailboxes. Perhaps no three colors or geometric combination were ever better married. Paired with the ideals of the American Revolution, the desire to express the flag through art is irresistible. As a result, We the People repeatedly discover new ways to interpret this symbol of nationhood on common objects.
Throughout history, the flag has been found on a variety of consumer products from clothes to dishware and cereal boxes. Jasper Johns is among those who have made it the subject of fine art with his 1954 encaustic painting entitled “Flag,” inspired, he said, by a dream. He went on to craft
Wherever I go, I keep a lookout for homemade interpretations of the Stars and Stripes. I’ve found flag variations on everything from park benches to bollards, fences, signs, painted stones carefully arranged, cement block walls, and even a shipping pallet nailed to a utility pole. I saw,
These clever works are not merely expressions of patriotism and political liberty, but of artistic freedom as well. That the flag can be celebrated in such unusual, even casual ways is not just homage to a unified nation, but to the First Amendment values of free
The American flag was adopted by resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. Though there had long been “Flag Day” commemorations, not until 1916 was the first presidential proclamation issued. It took until 1949 for Congress to establish National Flag Day. But regardless of any governmental action, there are many places where every day is Flag Day. It’s expressed in the unbridled creativity of average citizens who continually find new ways to fuse meaning and beauty.
