Flag Exhibit Closes With Dignified Burn

Standing before a painting of menacing helicopters superimposed on diagonally fragmented red and white bars of a reimagined American flag, Devil’s Gear Bike Shop owner Matt Feiner pointed to a painting by New Haven artist Dooley‑O (“American revolution un-televised, 2017”), as an example of a work with an explicit message about the flag and the state of America.

“This is one of the most patriotic shows ever; true patriotism is to stand up to tyranny,” said Feiner.

An artist in his own right, Feiner found his way to the Ely Center of Contemporary Aug. 13, for the closing reception of Broad Stripes and Bright Stars, an exhibit curated by Aicha Woods and David Coon featuring around 80 works by local and nationally known artists, including some veterans, all with something to say about America’s quintessential symbol and the circumstances of our times.

The accompanying flag retirement ceremony designed to dovetail with the show’s closing held special fascination for Feiner.

“I’ve been to a lot flag burnings — seen a lot of angry people — but I’d never been at a flag [retirement] ceremony in my life,” said Feiner after witnessing the fiery retirement of a United States flag during a flag retirement ceremony conducted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) New Haven. Feiner, whose father was a WW II veteran, said he was impressed by both the civility sense of unity and spirituality of the words offered during prayers by the organization’s chaplain, James Namnoum, and the overall ceremony.

Charles M. Pickett, past commander of VFW New Haven’s Post 12150, summed up the spirit of the event In the flag retirement ceremony program: ​“Bound by tradition, this flag retirement ceremony also acts as the symbolic closing of the Broad Stripes and Bright Stars exhibition — suggesting the end-of-life of a powerful, and [for some], a living symbol that million of Americans have worked, fought and died for. ”

The idea of bringing the flag retirement ceremony to the Ely Center of Contemporary Art came to the exhibit’s co-curator, Aicha Woods, who is also the parent of a son in the U.S. Navy. Woods approached the New Haven VFW chapter with the idea. Initially, it was to have been a flag collection ceremony, but VFW personnel proposed expanding the event and make it a live retirement ceremony — an actual first for both the gallery and the nascent New Haven VFW chapter, now only two years old. 

VFW New Haven Post is unique in that its membership consists primarily of post-911 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and is one of the top ranked VFW posts in terms of programming, membership growth, and ​“paperwork.” Part of the VFW’s mission, in addition to its veterans’ advocacy, is to bring veterans together through community service, including the collection of flags that have fallen into disrepair and are ready for retirement. Flags are then properly retired in accordance with the United States Code, Title 36, chapter 10, section 176 and the VFW’s suggested procedure for disposing of torn, soiled, or badly faded flags.

For Naval Petty officer Marie Yi, who attended the event with her children, the flag retirement ceremony was a first for her as well: ​“When I was on active duty, I didn’t know what they did with the flags that were in disrepair” she explained after the program.

Aicha Woods made the presentation of the flag. Woods reflected on the nature of the closing exhibit before the ceremony, a show which was widely reviewed including a review in New Haven Independent.

“From the outset of the show, we wanted to look at it straight on — no polarity of us vs. them. The show included a diverse set of voices — none of them are shouting in your face, but present honest reflections. You realize that the armed forces are also a diverse group of people,” said Woods.

Woods also reflected on the diversity of content in the exhibit: ​“The works express love for country, optimism, faith in humanity but are also about being able to have difficult conversations. It’s really important to think about where we are going and how we can be inclusive and figure out ways to connect with people.”

Chaplain Namnoum noted his appreciation for the gallery’s invitation: ​“We appreciate being in a venue in which we are not usually included.”

After the ceremony, Ely Center founder and chair Jeanne Criscola could be found taking pre-sale orders for a soon-to-be-available catalog of Broad Stripes and Broad Stars Catalog. ​“We are honoring a pre-sale of the catalog at $36 until October 15th through our website. After Oct. 15th, the catalog will be available through our website and e‑store for $45 and also be available for expanded distribution through Amazon for $58.”

The handsome, small format catalog (5.5 x 8.5 inches) of around 175 pages, which is being reproduced in full color, represents a compilation of artists’ works in Broad Stripes and Bright Stars with an introduction and curators’ statement about the relevant and topical exhibit that gave voice to many perspectives in casting a broad net.

According to VFW New Haven Past Post Commander Pickett, the public will be invited to participate in the gold star family inspired event New Haven Kick For Nick Night, a soccer ball collection drive and fundraiser on Oct. 20, at the Trinity Bar and Restaurant on Orange Street. The event honors the soccer dream and passion of Wilton, CT native, and soccer enthusiast, U.S. Army soldier PFC Nicholas A. Madaras, who was killed in Iraq a decade ago. The Kick for Nick Foundation has distributed more than 49,000 soccer balls to underprivileged children in 37 countries worldwide according to the VFW. The goal of this year’s fundraiser is to collect one thousand additional soccer balls to reach the goal of 50,000 and the smiles that will follow. For more details or to make a donation, visit the Facebook events page.