Celebrating Flag Day by celebrating the ambition of a new Utah state flag design
Let’s celebrate Flag Day on June 14 by considering a state flag design that says something distinctive about who we are as Utahns in the 21st century.
The conversation that’s been prompted by the state’s More Than A Flag initiative has been ambitious. Any design process is complicated, as it begins by brainstorming ideas and aspirations before moving to more specific choices. By imagining what we need we likely will discover what we want: A flag that speaks to us both directly and symbolically.
I like the ambition of a process based on asking Utahns statewide what they want on a new flag, and what colors or symbols best represent this distinctive state. That’s why I agreed to serve as a volunteer on the Design Review Subcommittee. I was impressed with how the initiative sought representation from across the state — from cultural groups, schools, Tribes, and municipal officials.
In four months, this bipartisan initiative received more than 5,000 digital flag design submissions, as well as scores more delivered through the mail. Those designs came from all 29 of the state’s counties, including from our friends and neighbors here in Washington County.
In the next phase of the process, volunteers on the Design Review Subcommittee will look through the submissions and select a handful of top candidates. Those designs will be posted on the Flag.Utah.gov website in August and we’ll ask residents to weigh in. We want to know what Utahns think. At the same time, we realize no one flag design will ever be the top choice of everyone.
The subcommittee will send three finalists to the Utah State Flag Task Force, who will choose one final flag design to be considered by the Utah Legislature and by Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox.
I am pleased we are working together to design a flag for the 21st century. I like the challenge of imagining what will represent Utah in 2022, more than a century after the state adopted the current flag design.
As I think about a new state flag design, I’m inspired by distinctive examples such as the Texas flag. The design’s simple red, white and blue stripes, with one prominent white star captures the identity of the Lone Star State. I also am struck by the simplicity of New Mexico’s flag, which speaks to the shared journeys of native people and newcomers. Both flags are iconic, memorable, and open to interpretation. In both cases, less is more.
At the end of our flag selection process here in Utah, we may embrace a flag that is more abstractly representational of the values of Utah, like the Texas and New Mexico flags. Or we may find a flag that resembles what we have now more to our liking.
I don’t know what will happen, but my job on the Design Review Subcommittee is to raise questions about what we’re trying to accomplish in this process. The Subcommittee will grapple with familiar tensions between abstract vs. concrete, the past vs. the present, and dominant cultural or historical groups vs. newcomers to the state.
As with most important decisions, there are many issues, opinions and hopes we must weigh. That’s what excites me about the More Than A Flag conversation.
I hope everyone will stay engaged by visiting Flag.Utah.gov. The formal submission process has ended, but the conversation continues. There will be more opportunities for us to come together and share our thoughts about our new flag.
Dr. Stephen Lee has been dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah Tech University, formerly Dixie State University, since 2019. Lee, who studied economics before earning master’s and doctoral degrees in communication, researches the film and music industries and has also produced, directed, and edited documentaries and educational programs. He serves as a volunteer on the Design Review Subcommittee of Utah’s More Than A Flag initiative.
This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Your Turn: Celebrating Flag Day by celebrating the ambition of a new Utah state flag design
