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Edson's Flag

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

Object Details

Artist
Marie Watt, born Seattle, WA 1967
Gallery Label
Artist Marie Watt has asked, "What happens when American art includes Indigenous art in [the] narrative? How does that shift the stories we tell about what it means to be American?"
In Edson's Flag, Watt, a member of the Seneca Nation, pays tribute to Indigenous warriors and war veterans, including her great-uncle Edson. She makes a unified piece from pieces that might not seem to fit easily together--a section of patchwork quilt, wool blankets evoking trade-goods (one army-green, one red), and an American flag. Invoking icons of America that are overtly connected to mainstream white culture, she summons an alternate set of associations from these same forms--specifically those related to intergenerational, Indigenous memory.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Driek and Michael Zirinsky in honor of Jane Beebe and Spencer Beebe
Copyright
© 2004, Marie K. Watt
2004
Object number
2015.28.7
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Fiber
Crafts
Medium
American flag (from U.S. military burial) with wool blankets, satin, and thread
Dimensions
130 × 84 in. (330.2 × 213.4 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Object\other\flag
Record ID
saam_2015.28.7
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7b2f91557-7364-488a-a495-e72299a7a472

Related Content

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  • Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue

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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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