Pledges of Allegiance Panel Discussion

USF Contemporary Art Museum invited a panel to dialogue about unity, divisions, and spaces for intersection within the political and social arenas. Presented in coordination with Creative Time's Pledges of Allegiance project, and specifically Robert Longo's flag Untitled (Dividing Time), the discussion featured: Dr. Shawn Bingham, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, Honors College; Dr. Gurleen Grewal, Associate Professor of English; and Noelle Mason, Associate Professor of Art. Sarah Howard, USF Curator of Public Art and Social Practice, moderated the discussion.

Pledges of Allegiance
The USF Contemporary Art Museum is proud to be a participating institution in Pledges of Allegiance, a nationwide, year-long public art project featuring a serialized commission of flags created by acclaimed artists and presented by New York-based public art nonprofit Creative Time. Conceived in response to the current political climate, Pledges of Allegiance aims to inspire a sense of community among cultural institutions, and to begin articulating the urgent response our political moment demands. Each month USFCAM is mounting a different artist-designed flag in coordination with Creative Time's national public art initiative and in solidarity with other participating institutions nationally.

Robert Longo's Untitled (Dividing Time)
The flag on view during the panel is Robert Longo's Untitled (Dividing Time), based on his large-scale charcoal drawing, Untitled (Nov. 8, 2016), completed the day of the recent presidential election. The two-panel drawing shows an American flag separated by five inches between the left panel and right panel, the latter measuring slightly larger than the former. The flag and the monumental drawing reflect the current symptomatic divide in the United States and will serve as a launching point for the discussion about how art and cultural symbols reflect our nation's histories, allegiances, and hope for the future.