A new art exhibit challenges traditional notions of patriotism and encourages people to think about America differently.
Surrealist photographer and Indiana University graduate Kathryn Coers Rossman has been collecting artifacts for the exhibit, “National Anthem: Punk Patriotism!,” for about 10 years. Objects include vintage bicentennial dresses from 1976, signs and dolls.
Rossman also photographed people from punk and queer communities in patriotic clothing, such as dresses or shirts of the American flag. By portraying the flag in a new and modern way, Rossman hopes people will reembrace the flag, even in divided times.
“I took people who would never wear the flag, who would never feel comfortable wearing it out in public, and I just draped them in the flag,” she said. “So it was a change in their reality. They weren't necessarily comfortable with it at first, but I wanted them to know that it belonged to them too, and that if they could embody it, it would mean more to all of us.”
One of her photographs, “Dead Mall Gothic,” portrays two people in American flag clothing standing in front of the former Macy’s entrance at College Mall. She said the photo is a commentary on how online consumerism has changed physical spaces.
“I've recast that in a different space, asking how our physical spaces matter to us these days, when we're very, very online,” she said.
The exhibit includes a photo of a Black woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty and three mannequins dressed in majorette costumes.
“She's the pep band leader who's lost her pep,” Rossman said. “So, she's the one leading the marching band trying to make everyone be enthusiastic, but she's just coming up short because she can't figure out where to go next with America.”
Rossman’s goal is to show her audience how America has changed and what it can become through a surrealist lens. She also wants to encourage people to invest more in their local communities.
“How we celebrate America and the narratives that we embrace is a really big part of that,” she said. “So, I tried to create a space where everyone is welcome, regardless of their political affiliations, and that asks people to join in civil discourse. It's a little silly, it's a little surreal, but it also challenges people's beliefs, but in a way that leaves them open.”
The exhibit is at the Backspace Gallery on the square. It’s free and will be open through August.
