In November 1970, People’s Flag Show was held at New York’s Judson Memorial Church. The exhibition was designed as an open call for artworks interpreting the U.S. flag, in a direct remonstrance of laws limiting its use and display. More than 150 works filled the church, many inherently political or even incendiary in their manipulation of the flag. Faith Ringgold designed People’s Flag Show Poster to publicize the exhibition
After a performance in which a flag was burned, three of the organizing artists—Jon Hendricks, Jean Toche, and Ringgold, dubbed “the Judson Three”—were arrested and subsequently charged with desecration of the U.S. flag. A protracted, costly, and ultimately failed legal battle ensued over the fundamental right of artistic license.
Faith Ringgold (American, born 1930). People's Flag Show Poster, 1970. Cut paper collage and pen design for poster. Courtesy of ACA Galleries, New York. © 1970 Faith Ringgold. On view in We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85
