Collective Kindred Flag Print #1
$40.00
The Art Students League of Denver commissioned me and nine other artiss to create flags representative of the history, people and places of Denver/Colorado.
*Second photos is of the actual flag I painted.
I wanted to highlight the cultures of the Black, Native and Chicano peoples. In flag #1 the the serape fabric is for my Mexican siblings. Serape is traditionally a woven blanket that is very popular in their tradition. Much of Mexico was stolen and the fact still remains that much of southern America belongs to them. The mudcloth pattern is representative of Black/African Americans. Mudcloth is from Mali, a west African country. West africa is where most of my people where stolen from. Mudcloth is made by staining fabric with fermented mud. The symbols on the cloth vary and each hold a story of their own depending on who made the cloth. Although America is not our original land we now share in the deep troubling and rich history of this soil. The Thunderbird is for my Native siblings who are indigenous to Turtle Island. The Thunderbird is found amongst many indigenous tribes such as, but not limited to, the Cherokee and Arapahoe. We all know of their genocide that continues to take place here today. The cowrie shell is native to the west coast of Africa but through trade, the shells have traveled through the Americas and have become a part of Native clothing and art as well. I felt this was an important symbol that ties us all together.
In flag #2 in place of the mudcloth foe my people, I chose the Black Liberation Flag, originally designed by Marcus Garvey. The Thunderbird and Serape remain for my land siblings.
My flags will be flying through the end of Black History Month at the Art Students League of Denver. Each month a different flag will be raised.
The Flagpole exhibit runs from June 10, 2022, through June 30, 2023. To read more about the exhibit and other artists, please visit the Art Student League website here: https://asld.org/flagpole-project/
