Chicago-based artist Bob Faust’s Ways & Means participatory public art initiative has been installed on the lawn of the Executive Mansion. He describes it as offering a message of non-partisan hope and a vision of patriotism.
Installed Oct. 21, it will remain on display through Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The installation consists of a series of 12 transparent 134” x 72” double-layered flags, each of which carries a pair of tenets that reflect Faust’s vision of patriotism rooted in shared democratic values, civic participation and a more inclusive American “we.”
Visitors who attended the Halloween event at the mansion on Saturday, Oct. 24, received a special Ways & Means sticker pack. Bandanas designed to replicate the flags and mini iterations of the flags were also distributed to parents of trick-or-treaters.
Ways & Means draws on Faust’s design practice as he reimagines the familiar form of the American flag to foreground 24 tenets that invite viewers to reconsider the meaning and values of patriotism in the present day. Each flag pairs aspirational civic values inviting viewers to reflect on the ideals that connect communities. Grounded in the belief that national symbols can evolve alongside the people they represent, the initiative focuses on the “ways” forward, and the “means” we use to get there.
Ways & Means is concurrently installed on the flag poles located at the farthest east end of Chicago’s Navy Pier, also through Nov. 3. Additional activations dating back to the Northside 4th of July Parade in Cincinnati are catalogued on the artist’s website.
The tenets are: Art/Understanding; Self/Freedom; Civility/Equality; Love/Resolve; Strength/Humility; Kindness/Bravery; Respect/Integrity; Hope/Peace; Faith/Truth; Compassion/Joy; Patience/History; Trust/Wonder.
