Red, White & Blue

Let's talk about Red White & Blue Rushmore.

First, some Pop Art context. True Pop Art belongs to a particular historical moment. To the extent that I use the term "Pop Art" in descriptions of my work I mean it as a sort of short hand for a visual language and a framework for interpreting that language. The visual language we're all pretty familiar with - soup cans, comic strip panels, etc. But what is it about? Beyond the historical elements I think there are a series of tensions at the heart of Pop Art - for instance; elevating the things and people we see everyday in magazines and on television to "high art", but they're already elevated by virtue of their popularity. These tensions could almost be expressed as a series of oxymorons: sincere irony, serious parody, industrial beauty, everyday celebrity (I think this is what's at the heart of Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" comment).

When I decided to lean in to my Pop Art influences and explore cultural icons, Mount Rushmore was third on that list (I have yet to do a Mona Lisa I'm happy with, but you can check out my Davids elsewhere on this site). I was hesitant. A South Dakota artist doing an image of Mount Rushmore seemed a little on the nose; a little exploitative; a cash grab. Don't get me wrong - as a working artist grabbing cash is the name of the game. But from the beginning of this endeavor there was one word that has guided my decision making: authenticity. The Black Hills is legitimately my favorite place in the world. And, anyway, I'm not from South Dakota, I just live here.

I did a clear blue sky, a rainbow sky, a kids drawing style of what I think of as sunrise even though Rushmore is facing the wrong way for that (there are more Rushmores in the works, by the way, so stay tuned for that). Then came the idea of putting an American flag above Mount Rushmore. I think I actually laughed out loud. Not a mirthful laugh. I looked a little deeper and there was some genuine apprehension there. In this political environment? How would people interpret that? Through whatever lens they view the rest of the world. "Scary," I thought. "Scary?" said my muse, "Perfect. Let's get started..." (my muse always wants to make steaks from sacred cows).

My father was in the military. If you live within earshot of a military base you'll regularly hear bugle calls played over loudspeakers marking the beginning and the end of the day. Military personnel outside at the time of these calls are generally expected to salute the nearest flag (an oversimplification, of course. As you can imagine there are a number of different requirements depending on the exact circumstances). As children we would stop what we were doing, face the nearest flag (or the direction of the music if there were no flags nearby), and stand silently with our hands over our hearts for the duration of the call. I don't recall anyone explaining this to us. It's just what we did.

I'm sure some of you find this troubling. I'm sure others can't imagine why anyone would find this troubling.

The American flag is a symbol and as with all symbols it means different things to different people - and maybe different things to one person. But at it's heart my work doesn't make statements. I think it's probably my father's flag that flies over my Rushmore, not mine, but I wouldn't get too hung up on it if i were you.