CentralMaine.com | Article | Joe Phelan

‘Her Flag’ project comes to Maine State Museum

Oklahoma-based artist Marilyn Artus sews Maine’s stripe onto the “Her Flag” art flag Saturday during an event at the Maine State Museum in Augusta. The project commemorates the centenary of the 19th amendment that gave American women the right to vote. Kennebec Journal photo by Joe Phelan

AUGUSTA — Oklahoma-based artist Marilyn Artus is meeting women of all stripes — and finding artists around the nation to design said stripes — to take part in the “Her Flag” art project.

The project commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment that gave American women the right to vote. On Saturday, Maine’s contribution to the project — stripe No. 19 — was sewn onto the flag during an event at the Maine State Museum. The event included a performance by Maine songwriter Jenny Lou Drew and an appearance by Maine artist Amie Kennedy, who created the Maine stripe that Artus sewed onto the growing banner.

The museum was open free of charge Saturday.

Marilyn Artus has brought her sewing machine and added stripes in 18 other state capitals since June 2019. The latest stripe represents Maine, as the 19th of 36 states that ratified the 19th amendment, on a large art flag.

Artus is traveling to each of the 36 states in the order that they ratified the 19th amendment. She began in Wisconsin on June 10, 2019, and plans to end in Tennessee on Aug. 18, 2020.

Amie Kennedy holds up part of the "Her Flag" project Saturday after Marilyn Artus added Kennedy's Maine stripe to the bottom during an event at the Maine State Museum in the Augusta. Kennebec Journal photo by Joe Phelan

“I am on a mission to make sure that every woman I come in contact with over this 14-month adventure is registered to vote and gets out in 2020 to put that registration to use,” said Artus. “‘Her Flag’ is not a political piece of work, rather a powerful, positive symbol used to educate and celebrate this truly momentous American anniversary.”

When it is complete in November, “Her Flag” will measure 18 feet tall and 26 feet wide and will include the work of 36 women artists across the nation. Each stripe is 6 inches tall.

To learn more about the “Her Flag” project and Artus, visit www.herflag.com. For more information about the Maine State Museum and the museum’s exhibit, “Women’s Long Road — 100 Years to the Vote,” see www.mainestatemuseum.org.