why do we love flags so much?
I recently exhibited work at the Montclair Public Library in New Jersey and part of the show included merchandise with an illustration I designed on the items. The illustration is a square depiction of the Ukrainian flag and an interpretation of a tryzub (trident), Ukraine’s symbol of freedom/ coat of arms.
Side note: I have been doodling tryzubs since I was a teenager hoping someday there would be a version I loved so much I would commit to a tattoo of it on my body. The war in Ukraine inspired me to finalize my version of this symbol of freedom; and I did just that. The tattoo is forthcoming. I didn’t get it done yet.
Anyway, I took over an abandoned cafe in an outer nook of the library and used a glass case - which was probably housing sandwiches and pastries at some point- to display mugs, sweatshirts, car magnets, stickers, tote bags, etc…all to raise funds to help the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. With the help of the art curator, several huge Ukrainian flags were hung behind the display case to hide all the cafe supplies. I felt like my late grandparents would be so proud I spent the last month or two putting together work honoring my Ukrainian roots.
As a young girl I would awkwardly explain to friends what language my grandmother was speaking, where in the world Ukraine was, or why I had two names (my family always call me Melanka, but Melanie is on my birth certificate, and what I was called in school) or why I was never available to hang out on Saturday mornings (Ukrainian school) or that СУМ camp was “just like Girl Scouts, but Ukrainian” or why at birthdays we would sing Mnohaya Lita…these Ukrainian American experiences are not unusual for the diaspora. I will sadly admit I felt embarrassed at times to be different than a “normal” American and had to explain my family traditions. It was a time that being different wasn’t cool. I just wanted to blend in.
My Ukrainian friend’s dad was what we used to call “Super Ukie”. He had a huge van with tryzubs and other Ukrainian themed decals over every inch of his vehicle. I remember thinking how glad I was that my family had a “normal” car. This was my tween brain; I cringe at this mindset now. Fast forward 30+ years, and I am (ironically) the one proudly designing and selling the Ukrainian themed car magnets and stickers!
Looking at that wall of blue and yellow in the library cafe, I finally felt like my place as a Ukrainian American was right and good. I no longer felt like I had to explain myself. I spent years feeling like I wasn’t Ukrainian enough in the Ukrainian community and too Ukrainian in my American circle of friends. Now, I wasn’t in an out-group. I wasn’t an outsider to either community. The flag represents not only my family history but it finally represented all of me and my DNA. I didn’t feel like an imposter pretending to be Ukrainian, and I didn’t feel like a Ukrainian pretending to be American. It was no longer a tug-of-war binary thing. I am both.
Did it take a war for this moment to happen? I have heard more than once since February, when Russia invaded the sovereign Ukraine: now, we are all Ukrainian. True, but especially for Ukrainian-Americans.
THAT is the power of color and the flag. It visually identifies on the outside who we are on the inside. The American flag of course has components in addition to color: shapes. The stars and long rectangles making up the stripes are striking and quickly identifiable. The American flag is probably one the most well known, if not THE most well known, in the world.
My family always rents a cabin in the Adirondack mountains for the week of American Independence Day (July fourth). Several years ago I realized I didn’t have any clothing or attire with the American flag on it! I felt ashamed of my lack of visible patriotism because I love my country and am so grateful for the opportunity and freedom we have here.
So I went shopping. Every time I saw something with the American flag on it, I felt like it had our 45th president’s (he-whom-I-shall-not-name) brand on it. Quick digression for the record: his actions and in-actions at the end of his presidency were very disappointing (understatement) and, in my view, 100% un-American.
How did the association of the American flag with #45 happen? Why did I feel like if I wore an American flag it would seem like I was one of his supporters? Yikes. While I was processing this I satisfied my mission by purchasing a red, white and blue tie-dyed hoodie with “Team USA” embroidery on the front (it was the year of the summer Olympics).
I still ask myself all the time: how do I take back the flag of the country I love?
Maybe this is why there are many versions of the American flag. I don’t even know what they all represent! I literally googled “what does the American flag with the green stripe mean?”.
I also noticed Americans put the flag on freakin’ everything…EVERYTHING! In my travels to other countries I just didn’t see this (outside of high tourist traffic areas). In the United States, we love our flag, and it shows! It is everywhere you look and on every dang thing.
I think in part this is because our country is so young relative to antiquity you find in other parts of the world. We just don’t have the ancient ruins and preserved landmarks that exist in other countries. So in place of having pyramids, a Great Wall, medieval castles, a leaning tower, etc to revere…we revere our flag.
Jasper Johns famously and lovingly used the flag as a subject of a series of forty (40!) paintings after serving in the military. The 1950’s…it was a time when patriotism was at a high. Advertising was chock full of images portraying “the American dream”. Johns’ work pre-dated and foreshadowed the emergence of pop art, minimalist art and conceptual art. All of this was on the horizon. Looking back, John had his fingers on the pulse of American culture, making him, in my view, one of the most important modern mid century artists and still relevant today. At multiple times works by Johns have held the title of most paid for a work by a living artist, including a reported $110 million sale in 2010! Wow!
So in response to my own question “how do I reclaim the American flag for myself?”, I think I need to design a version that is true to me. This week I created an American flag illustration “Patched Flag” using a grid structure I use often in my paintings. I wanted it to look like an embroidered patch you might sew onto a hat or denim jacket. Our country has endured so much division. As I reflect on the state of affairs this Independence Day, I am praying for the United States. We need great leaders to both conserve what was founded in 1776 and progress forward as our wants and needs have also changed since the Constitution was written.
Also, yes, you guessed it. I will be creating another version of the American flag. One that will incorporate my Ukrainian roots, and thus the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Perhaps someday I will have a series of flag paintings just like Jasper Johns. The purpose and joy of doing this would be to celebrate the melting pot of ethnicities in the United States, the land of the free and brave!
Happy Independence Day today and everyday to all!
