27th State to Ratify | Wyoming | Bethann Merkle, Artist
Her Flag Artist, Bethann Merkle
Bethann Garramon Merkle's stripe is an illustrated quilt (she sewed it from her great grandmother’s quilt squares).
With this stripe, Bethann pays homage to thirty-six women who have taught her to honor, lift up, believe, and empower women. The women appear in a timeline, starting with her mother and sisters, and progressing to more recent influences, culminating in her contemporary perspectives on suffrage, feminism, and equality. These women include aunts and great aunts, grandmothers and a great grandmother, and her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. They are joined by women who taught her about bluegrass and ecology, how to backpack and how to take care of herself in the wilds of the U.S. Mountain West. There are women who helped her adjust to life abroad and supported her in learning about women's rights in a different language. There are colleagues who have become dear friends through years of shared effort to build a more inclusive and accessible science communication community in Wyoming and nationwide. And, there are women who inspire and encourage efforts to fully integrate science, arts, and the humanities. Bethann's stripe also incorporates aspects of Wyoming’s flora and fauna in a nod to art-science intersections in a state where women have had the right vote since 1869. Due to this heritage, the state’s motto is “The Equality State.” A worthy goal which Wyomingites continue to work towards through advocating for full equality in significant arenas including wages and governance.