This past Sunday I organized (along with Monica and Interference Archive’s Radical Playdate) a kids flag making workshop in connection with For Which It Stands, an exhibition at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn, NY featuring artists interrogating the U.S. flag. For the workshop I wanted to encourage kids to create flags that represent the world they want to live in—to use the symbolism and conventions of the flag as a way to think about social change.
 

 
I created a series of templates of symbols and shapes that were cut out in all different colors, and could be arranged and glued onto a basic flag shape. I also generated a handout/worksheet that gave very basic and introductory explanations for what different colors and symbols can mean. It was really nice to hear bits and pieces of conversation between parents and their kids: “Mom, what does the fist mean?” and “Kiddo, do you remember that this was the symbol that I wore to the Women’s March?” Some kids just played, but a lot of them took the idea very seriously, and made extremely powerful and imagination-fueled flag designs. I’m excited to do this again!