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Her Flag: Celebrate equality & natural heritage on March 21st

bethann29


20200304_Merkle_stripe_excerpt_1_herflag_logo

36 states ratified the 19th amendment. 36 female artists designed stripes for Her Flag, a massive flag to commemorate these states.

I was selected to design Wyoming’s stripe! This Saturday, it will be sewn into the flag (which is ultimately 18 feed by 26 feet!).

 

Her Flag | Live (online) | March 21, 2020 @ 1:00 PM MDT

Join us through the live stream: -Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/herflag2020/ -Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/herflag2020/

 

My design honors 36 women who inspired and informed my own understanding of equality. These women are all modern women, such as my sisters, mom, aunts, mother-in-law, mentors, and collaborators. Some of these women taught me to empower other women. A few taught me about natural history. One taught me how to teach people about science. Another taught me how to garden, and one introduced me to bluegrass.

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Left to right: My maternal grandmother, paternal grandmother, and two great aunts, joined by a pair of Wyoming’s iconic bison.


Intertwined throughout the stripe, I also added familiar elements of biodiversity that make a place home such as local wildflowers, the Wyoming toad, ladybug, chickadee, Indian paintbrush, beaver, yucca seed, bison, pronghorn, and more. The background is made of 36 four-patch quilt squares, sewn from my great grandmother’s quilt scraps.

More Information

Stay tuned for Wyoming-specific follow-up project I’m working on with support from the University of Wyoming Office of Engagement and Outreach!

Media Coverage

More details are available in the following links:

  1. KTWO-TV (at the 9:02 mark)

  2. Wyoming Public Radio

  3. UWyo Press Release

  4. Laramie Boomerang front page article

  5. Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph article

  6. Biodiversity Institute post

  7. Live replay of the event is available here.

  8. A video of my artist statement is available here.

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commnatural sciencecommunication research & practice Bethann Garramon Merkle

© 2025 by Bethann Garramon Merkle.

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