Drawing of Flag Support for A Flag for the Boni Maroons (Suriname)
Graphite, charcoal, gesso, colored pencil, canvas, acrylic, sequins, beads, and collage on paper.
24 x 36 inches
2024
 
ABOUT
In 2024, the artist was commissioned by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to create eight Flags of Freedom for the exhibition titled, In Slavery's Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World.
After delivering the flags to the museum, the artist created eight related drawings. These works are meditations on each flag support (decorative ironwork from which each Flag of Freedom is suspended), tracing their journey from conceptualization to finished products forged in steel. They start with schematic diagrams of measurements, hand-drawn over low-quality printed photos of each steel object. Each schematic serves as the reference for the respective drawing which focuses on a specific section of the object. Although the measurements represent the actual scale of the physical steel object, the sections are illustrated at 2-3 times their actual size. The drawings are a blend of the energy and intention of the initial sketches, the chalk drawings on steel work tables, welding residue, and key elements from each flag. They can be considered a visual representation of the aesthetics inherent in the fabrication process.