The Fairfield University Art Museum is pleased to announce a major loan exhibition planned for spring 2026, as part of a series of cultural and artistic events at Fairfield University commemorating the 250th anniversary—semiquincentennial—of the United States.
For Which It Stands…, will run from January 23 – July 25, 2026, and will feature 75 works by diverse artists across art movements from the early 20th century to the present day, focusing on depictions of the American flag. The exhibition will include works ranging from Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918—lent by the Art Bridges Foundation—to a new textile sculpture by Maria de Los Angeles, being commissioned for the exhibition. Works by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu will challenge viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all. Additional pieces by renowned artists like Emma Amos, Eric Fischl, Glenn Ligon, and many others will further enrich the exhibition.
Included works are being lent by private collectors, artists, galleries, and institutions such as the Forge Art Project, Columbia University Avery Library, Delaware Museum of Art, The Mattatuck Museum of Art, Bridgeport Public Library, Gordon Parks Foundation, Orlando Museum of Art, Westport Public Art Collections, Yale University Art Gallery, the State of Connecticut’s CT Artists Collection, and the Fairfield University Art Museum’s own collection.
“This exhibition is an opportunity for all of us to examine the narratives that have shaped our country, particularly those that have been overlooked or challenged,” said Carey Mack Weber, executive director of the Fairfield University Art Museum and exhibition curator. “Through these artworks, we invite visitors to engage deeply with the pressing issues of justice, representation, and unity—issues that are as relevant today as they were when our nation was founded.”
This exhibition is made possible by generous support from Connecticut Humanities, Art Bridges, Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc., and Aquarion Water. It aligns with the guiding themes from the state’s CT 250 initiative, especially those of “telling inclusive stories,” and “for the common good.” As the CT 250 guidelines state, “For much of our history, the United States has excluded people—women, free and enslaved African Americans, Indigenous people, immigrants, people with disabilities, the poor, and many others—from full participation and representation in the nation’s political, economic, and cultural life. This commemoration is an opportunity to continue the nation’s reckoning with the past, both its glory and its missteps and flaws. By telling previously untold stories, we will enable everyone to find a place in our nation’s narrative.” For Which It Stands… looks at our nation’s history from 1918 to today through the lens of artists from diverse backgrounds and strives to tell as complete a history as possible.
WSHU and the Westport Journal are media sponsors of the exhibition.
A robust selection of programming has been developed to complement this exhibition, including gallery talks with contemporary artists whose work is in the show, lectures on topics ranging from artist Florine Stettheimer’s passion for Americana to a deep dive into the photograph The Soiling of Old Glory, and family-friendly events centered around flag-making and other topics. All programs are free and open to the public. Learn more at fairfield.edu/museum/for-which-it-stands/.
Opening Night Lecture: For Which It Stands…
Thursday, January 22, 5:30 p.m.
Aaron Weinstein, PhD, Assistant Professor, Politics, Fairfield University, and Exhibition Faculty Liaison
Quick Center for the Arts, Kelley Theatre, and via livestream
Dr. Weinstein’s talk explores the complex role of the U.S. flag in America’s “civil religion,” examining how its meaning shifts based on context, political use, and personal interpretation.
Opening Reception: For Which It Stands…
Thursday, January 22, 6:30 p.m.
Quick Center for the Arts Lobby and Walsh Gallery (the Bellarmine Hall Galleries will also be open for exhibition viewing)
Short Film Screening: Reclaim the Flag (2025)
Monday, January 26, 7:30 p.m.
The screening will be followed by a discussion chaired by Sean Edgecomb (professor of Visual & Performing Arts) with filmmaker Alexis Bittar, Luchina Fisher (VAP Film, Visual & Performing Arts), and Shane Vogel (Yale University, professor of English and Black Studies, chair of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies).
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Kelley Theatre
Co-sponsored with the Quick Center and the Arts Institute
Art in Focus: Childe Hassam, Italian Day, May 1918, 1918, oil on canvas
Thursday, February 12, 12 noon and 1 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries and via livestream
Lecture: The Soiling of Old Glory: The Story of a Photograph That Shocked America
Thursday, March 19, 5:30 p.m.
Louis P. Masur, PhD, Rutgers University, distinguished professor of American Studies and History
Dolan School of Business Event Hall and via livestream
Historian Louis Masur examines Stanley Forman’s iconic 1976 photograph The Soiling of Old Glory (a print of which will be on view in the exhibition), which provides a compelling window into racial tensions in 1970s America. The photograph was the subject of his 2008 book of the same title.