‘Long May She Wave’ at the Nevada Museum of Art
After a successful run at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, Kit Hinrichs’ Stars & Stripes collection is now on display at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno. The exhibition, Long May She Wave: A Graphic History of the American Flag, was given an entire floor (almost 8,500 square feet) so that Hinrichs was able to include 5,000 pieces—roughly 60 percent of the collection that he has accumulated over the past forty years. Objects on display include Civil War-era flags, handmade quilts, hundreds of toy flag bearer soldiers, weather vanes, jewelry, Native American weavings, political campaign memorabilia, clothing and protest banners, packaging labels and fine arts photographs.
In his search to understand what is iconic, Hinrichs has been fascinated with the many graphic interpretations of the American flag and how the elements in its design can be parsed into individual colors and patterns and yet be recognizable to millions around the world. The Stars and Stripes is a national brand, a logo and a symbol that is filled with emotion and levels of meaning that change with the political and cultural climate of the times.
The exhibition, curated by Hinrichs, is on view through 15 March 2009.
Hinrichs has written two books about his collection, Long May She Wave: A Graphic History of the American Flag and 100 American Flags: A Unique Collection of Old Glory Memorabilia, both published by Ten Speed Press in 2001 and 2008, respectively.
