American Expressions is a social experiment, political awakening, and artistic representation of expression through an 8-foot by 16-foot steel sculpture of an American flag. The American Expressions flag was toured throughout the United States in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election. By allowing people to write directly on the flag, it became a document of their encounters and a place of expression for the people of our nation. It was a journey promoting freedom and compassion. Upon traveling to the next destination, the flag was repainted, absorbing the expressions of the previous community, weaving thousands of voices together. The literal act of repainting the flag is a metaphor for the cooperation and effort needed by everyone to rejuvenate our country. This artwork is truly public art that engages. When the flag is beleaguered and looks much like our political reality, we can go repaint it. Through cooperation, compassion, and applied effort, the flag can look great again–just like our nation.
