June 14th is Flag Day. How Will You be Celebrating?

One of Muriel Stockdale's Flags

13 Jun 2008 13:26 Africa/Lagos


June 14th is Flag Day. How Will You be Celebrating?

NEW YORK, June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- If you're anything like Muriel Stockdale, this Flag Day you'll be designing and crafting a customized US Flag with the stars and stripes built from symbols native to your ancestors' homeland.

Muriel Stockdale

Artist Muriel Stockdale has been creating flags that depict the integration of other cultures into the celebration of the American experience for the past four years. Her flag series, E PLURIBUS, currently includes nineteen flags, each incorporating fabrics, symbols and styles of other civilizations into the American flag template. Exquisitely hand-crafted, creatively brilliant in their depiction of the cultural trademarks of other countries, the E PLURIBUS flags function both as works of art and tributes to the homelands that have ultimately enriched and strengthened the very patriotism of America.


An immigrant herself, Muriel chose flag art as her method to both celebrate this key ingredient of diversity and to illustrate the unity of this great country. "E Pluribus Unum, 'Out of Many, One' -- the mandate of the Great American Seal, is particularly inspiring and perhaps more relevant today than ever before as our country continues to incorporate immigrants," says Stockdale.


The unique beauty of each flag is the result of exploration into the cultural gifts and sacred symbols of the different countries, and their meanings. Stockdale has chosen to depict the Tibetan culture by using traditional Buddhist prayer flags for the stripes, and on the Japanese version, folded origami cranes for stars. The Native American flag is done in beaded buckskin, while the Danish American flag is made in the tradition of great Danish bentwood giving the impression of a flag blowing in the wind. The Mayan American Flag features little cornhusk dolls that are called "worry people". If you're worried about something you tell the worry doll.


"My ultimate goal is to show that diversity of personal patriotic expression is a beautiful thing and enhances the lives of all of us," says Stockdale. "I want to invite others to send me their flags to include as part of the project. My aim is to inspire others to make their own flag, based on their cultural heritage."


For further information, artist's video and pictures of the flags, visit E PLURIBUS


Source: E PLURIBUS

CONTACT: Susan Storms of Raasa for E PLURIBUS, +1-646-725-0775,
Storms@raasa.org


Web site: http://www.epluribus.us/

Muriel's Nigerian American Flag was exhibited at Alden Gallery on Memorial Day. The ALDEN GALLERY exhibit space is located at 423 Commercial Street, Provincetown, Massachusetts. The show ran for three weeks through June 12. Alden Gallery / 423 Commercial Street / Provincetown / MA / 02657 / 508.487.4230 / info@aldengallery.com read more >