Chicago Flag Exhibition
Date: 1989
Region: North America
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Mixed Media
Artist: Barbara Aubin, Diane Grams along with 8 other artists
Confronting Bodies: City of Chicago
Dates of Action: October, 1989
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Description of Artwork: The exhibition included ten works of art utilizing the flag as a political statement.
The Incident: The city sued to ban nine flag artworks from public display before the exhibit began, but three weeks later the ACLU won the right to legally display the works of art for a day in their offices until the judge had a chance to make a decision on the case a week later.
Results of Incident: The ACLU sought a ban on all prosecutions of artistic or political expressions involving flags, saying the Chicago ordinance violates the First Amendment and is unworkably vague. The group of artist received settlement to cover all defense fee along with the right to show their work.
Source: Committee For Artists' Rights Archive