Under the Crescent Moon

Title: Belted Crescent + Star

Creator: Christopher Carter

Material: Found materials, leather, caste rubber

Year: 2009

At the African American Museum in Philadelphia there are two exhibitions.  First, is the core exhibition, Audacious Freedom.  The museum also has a temporary gallery that is now exhibiting the art of Christopher Carter. Carter used found material from an old barn (the barn is a former munitions depot from before the Civil War) to create many of pieces on display.  The pieces in this exhibition, Stalwart, were also chosen by Carter because they help to tell a story or are made from similar materials. The story Carter is trying to tell at the AAMP has two parts. First, some of the pieces have a nautical theme to imply the slave ships African were brought to American on.  The other issue he is trying to being attention to concerns flag burning, so many of the pieces look like flags. 

Carter’s inspirations for these pieces were the burning of Middle Eastern flags that took place after 9/11. I think he wanted to show flags that it would be difficult to burn given the materials he used. Not only did he use Middle Eastern flags for inspiration, but several flags are also based on state flags, including Texas Two Star. (Cute word play on the two-step and Lonestar state).

Belted Crescent + Star is based on the flags of Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.  It most directly connects to the Carter’s message.  For the same reasons any of these flags might be burned, people may be opposed to this piece.  On the other hand, some other may find it offensive to show their homeland’s flag or the American flag as a mangled piece of old industrial equipment. 

Teachers could use this exhibit in many ways.  First, they could use this the same way our host, Adrianne, did to explain the issues of flag burning post-9/11. Another activity could have students identify what real flag the artists interpretation most closely represents. A museum educated could then ask what it is flags represent to people. Lastly, students could illustrate their own flag, or visual interpret the meaning of a flag, based on age groups.