New Glory Part I: Colonial and Revolutionary Era Flags

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

Overview: A two-part flag history and design project for the American Revolution bicentennial was organized by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. 26 flags (28 in catalogue), most of them replicas of Colonial and Revolutionary war-era flags, were flown at the site of the proposed National Sculpture Garden, administered jointly by the National Gallery of Art and the National Park Service.

On June 14 (Flag Day) 1977, the 200th anniversary of the stars and stripes as the official design for the United States flag, this group of flags was flown again for a single day. Part II: New Designs for Flags, 28 contemporary flags chosen from a national competition, was shown at the site of the proposed National Sculpture Garden from June 15 until Labor Day, September 5, 1977.

Sponsor: Both exhibitions were supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. The aluminum poles and general installation in Washington were made possible by a grant from McDonald's Restaurants. Indoor versions of the exhibitions were circulated to museums and galleries by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

Catalog: New Glory: A Flag History and Design Project for the American Revolution Bicentennial, Part I: Colonial and Revolutionary Era Flags, by Paul Chadbourne Mills. Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1975.