Art, identity and history intersect in new ‘Maryland’s America’ exhibit at Flag House

What does it mean to be American?

That’s the question behind “Maryland’s America: 250 Years of American History Through Marylander Eyes,” a new exhibit that opened Saturday at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House museum in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Through the work of eight artists, the exhibit explores identity, belonging and the vastly different voices that have shaped the country. The museum’s executive director, Chris Sniezek, said the collection encourages visitors to see both America’s and Maryland’s stories through a wider range of experiences.

“I think it’s going to prove to be a good, long-lasting time capsule for the 250th and will give us a lot to think about as we progress through the next couple years,” Sniezek said.

The Flag House is best known as the home of seamstress Mary Young Pickersgill. There, she oversaw the sewing of a 30-by-42-foot American flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore and inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the lyrics to the national anthem. Today, the museum at 844 E. Pratt St. preserves that history while hosting exhibitions and educational programs.

The new exhibit features a wide range of artistic media — from oil paintings and glow-in-the-dark installations to a video with an original cello composition. Together, the pieces showcase how Marylanders are connected to the state’s past, present and future.

Gina Pierleoni, who is both a curator and an exhibiting artist, took inspiration from her Italian heritage and family’s immigration story to create a deconstructed American flag that wrestles with who is included and excluded, and who gets to decide.

Pierleoni said the patchwork of colorful paper reflects her belief that America is made of people from many backgrounds who, together, form a single whole.

“If I’ve learned anything through the process of research and thinking about this show, it’s that it’s hard to tease apart our dependence on one another, our responsibilities toward one another — our real need for one another,” Pierleoni said.

For Jasmine Hall, this exhibit was an opportunity to look inward. The recent University of Maryland graduate’s oil painting examines the intersection of her Jewish heritage, American identity and connection to the state. After years of feeling that those identities existed separately, Hall said, she created the piece as a way to process her own experiences. She hopes there are others who may see parts of their stories reflected in it.

“I’m doing it not for the sake of showing my independent thought, but more so to have people who might not see themselves in Maryland history or art, [who can] be part of the conversation and think, ‘I know what that feels like’,” Hall said.

While the pieces vary in style, many grapple with the relationship between the past and the present.

Lenett Partlow-Myrick, also known as “Mama Nef” around Baltimore City, said this project became a way to honor her ancestors. She created a map of the state that highlights its geography and the locations of Indigenous populations, then layered it with the stories of African American freedom fighters from across the state. As she reflected on what she sees as the current breakdown of democracy, Partlow-Myrick said we can look to the histories of freedom fighters as a roadmap for navigating difficult times and moving forward.

“So many of the narratives about who and what we are as Americans, and what America is, is being rewritten to the exclusion of so many people and to so many of the experiences that have made us who we are,” Partlow-Myrick said. “We have an obligation to make sure that these stories are preserved for posterity.”

Helen Yuen’s contribution combines music and storytelling, pairing a cello composition with a short film built around artist Ray Baylor’s oral history of urban renewal in Maryland.

Baylor and Yuen’s work unpacks the connection between the country’s founding and the ongoing impact of decisions about where people can live, work and move. The film ends with some of Baylor’s current efforts to conduct urban renewal differently. Yuen said she hopes it encourages people not only to reflect on the meaning of freedom in this country, but also to recognize their own agency and see possibilities for change.

“This milestone is a bittersweet moment, and I did not want the moment to go by as being celebratory, full stop,” Yuen said. “There’s a lot of reckoning that we need to do as a country.”

The new addition to the Flag House arrives at a moment when many communities are reflecting on how far the nation has come in 250 years. Rather than offering a single answer to what it means to be American, the collection turns the question back on visitors and provides them with eight unique lenses to consider it.

The “Maryland’s America” exhibit will be open for two years. You can check it out Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.