Marking both a significant milestone for Galerie Myrtis and a pivotal moment of national reflection, the exhibition coincides with the United States’ 250th anniversary. This historic occasion invites renewed consideration of the symbols, values, and narratives that have shaped the American experience—and of the ideals represented by the nation’s most enduring symbol: the American flag.

First explored by Galerie Myrtis in its 2008 exhibition Stars and Stripes: Pride or Despair, the subject returns nearly two decades later with renewed urgency. Through the perspectives of contemporary artists, the exhibition examines patriotism, belonging, identity, freedom, and the enduring tensions between the promise of America and the realities of the American experience.

The American flag endures as one of the nation’s most potent and contested symbols. It has flown over moments of profound progress and painful contradiction: the expansion of civil rights alongside their persistent contestation, democratic ideals shadowed by systemic inequities.

Drawing from the visual language of stars and stripes, the artists in this exhibition—representing diverse cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds—engage the flag not as a static icon, but as a living, evolving site of meaning. Their works celebrate resilience, sacrifice, and collective achievement while also challenging narratives that obscure histories of exclusion and unresolved injustice.

Situated within today’s charged political and social climate—marked by polarization, debates around belonging, and renewed demands for accountability, the exhibition asks what patriotism can and should mean in the present moment. The American flag becomes both mirror and measure, reflecting pride and grief, hope and dissent. These tensions are not framed as oppositional, but as inseparable forces that have always shaped the nation’s democratic project.

By returning to this theme at a pivotal historical moment, Galerie Myrtis underscores the enduring relevance of artistic inquiry in shaping civic imagination. Stars and Stripes: Pride, Protest & Promise, honors the struggles and triumphs that have expanded democracy’s reach, while inviting reflection on the work that remains. As the nation looks toward its next century, the exhibition affirms that celebration and critique are not contradictory acts, but essential components of an engaged, evolving democracy.

Featured Artists: Devin Allen, Lavett Ballard, Wesley Clark, Connor Czora, Tawny Chatmon, Morel Doucet, Ya La’Ford, Jerrell Gibbs, Susan Goldman, Monica Ikegwu, Ronald Jackson, Fabiola Jean-Louis, M. Scott Johnson, Megan Lewis, Lex Marie, Kim Rice, James Seward, and Felandus Thames.