What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?
Today we’re tackling a bit of a sensitive issue; is there a line that art should not cross? This is at the core of the work we will be examining as an example as it uses something so sacred and symbolic to some in a way they find reprehensible. But, it’s meant to make a statement, right?
What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?
In February 1989 a 24 year old artist, Dread Scott (then going by his birth name Scott Taylor), was in his final year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). As part of a student exhibition in his final year he debuted his artwork called What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag? The piece consists of a 34”x57” American flag laid out on the floor of the gallery, above it hangs a photomontage of the American flag draped over coffins and being burned. On the wall there is also a guest book where visitors are encouraged to write their thoughts and reactions to the piece. However, because of the placement of the book and the flag on the floor, in order to write in the book visitors must step on the flag.
So as you can imagine this caused some controversy right off the bat. There were daily protests outside the SAIC and military veterans would repeatedly come into the gallery and fold up the flag into a triangle, placing it onto the shelf with the guest book. The protesters called for the piece to be removed, Scott to be expelled, and a boycott of businesses who support the Art Institute. The work was even receiving criticism from lawmakers in Washington, President G.H.W. Bush called the work disgraceful.
Chicago’s City Council quickly passed an ordinance banning flag desecration as a response to the public outcry over the piece. However, in September of that year, the ACLU wrote a letter to Chicago city officials on behalf of ten artists, including Dread Scott, asserting that this ordinance was unconstitutional. In response, the City of Chicago filed a lawsuit against these ten artists asking for the ordinance to be declared constitutional. In November 1989 Judge Kenneth L. Gillis ruled that the ordinance could not be used to prosecute artists who use the American flag in their work. He said, “when the flag is displayed in a way to convey ideas, such display is protected by the First Amendment…For every artist who paints our flag into a corner, there are others who can paint it flying high” (Wilber, 2022).
Let’s Talk About This
So now you know the facts of what went on it’s interesting to step back and reflect a little bit about this entire conflict, art censorship, and what art is meant to do.
Of course, when this was happening, officials at the SAIC were alarmed by the reaction to the exhibit. Tony Jones, president of the SAIC, said it was “the responsibility of institutions like ours to protect art, no matter how controversial, charming or soporific” (Schmidt, 1989). There was really a larger debate going on here about conflicting values and beliefs, the freedom of expression vs. the freedom to offend, and the rights of an artist vs. the rights and beliefs of a community.
Really, the purpose of this type of art is to provoke. And in that, it was incredibly successful. Visitor’s comments filled 400 pages of two guest books provided as part of the piece. Many of these comments were angry, as expected, but some were also in support of the piece or thoughtfully considering both sides of this debate.
Jones, president of the SAIC, said, “he has manipulated the situation to the advantage of the work. It does make you question your patriotism. And for all those people that were marching around the school yesterday, it’s a reaffirmation-of belief in the flag, in their values, in their national symbol” (Johnson, 1989). He does concede that this point was likely lost on the protesting veterans.
In his ruling that the City of Chicago’s ordinance couldn’t be used to prosecute artists, Judge Gillis also points out a number of interesting ironies within this case. The first is that one of the things veterans fought for was the right for all Americans, including Dread Scott, to speak their minds. Another is that Dread Scott, who rejects the country and the flag which he sees as an oppressive symbol, finds himself protected by them in this case. Finally, the artist called this work ‘an installation for audience participation’, meaning that people should write in the book but this technically also extends to the veterans who folded the flag and placed it on the shelf.
To sum up, the piece was never removed or outlawed and Dread Scott didn’t face any legal ramifications. However, this piece is notorious and was absolutely a trigger for many people. Dread Scott is still working as an artist and in July of 2015 he hung a banner in New York that read “A Man was Lynched by Police Today” following the killings of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. He’s absolutely still using his art to make political statements and provoke reactions.
One more quote from Tony Jones, "one of the things that does come out of this, is that art is not peripheral. . . If art were irrelevant, it wouldn’t have this much impact" (Johnson, 1989).
Works Cited
Campbell, Adrianna. “Banner Year: At A Time of Heated Race Relations in America Dread Scott Wades into the Fray”. ARTNews. 2017. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/banner-year-at-a-time-of-heated-race-relations-in-america-dread-scott-wades-into-the-fray-7554/
Johnson, Steve. “When Art Raises Red Flags”. The Chicago Tribune. 1989. https://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-when-art-raises-red-flags-20160212-story.html
Schmidt, William E. “Disputed Exhibit of Flag is Ended”. The New York Times. 1989. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/17/us/disputed-exhibit-of-flag-is-ended.html
Wilbur, Jennifer. “Dread Scott’s “What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?” and Art Censorship”. Owlcation. 2022. https://owlcation.com/humanities/Dread-Scotts-What-is-the-Proper-Way-to-Display-a-US-Flag-and-Art-Censorship