For Which It Stands… forms part of America250: The Promise and Paradox, an initiative through which Fairfield University Explores 250 Years of the American Experiment.

About

This exhibition examines depictions of the American flag through more than 70 works by a diverse group of artists, beginning during WWI with Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918 and continuing to the present day, including a textile sculpture commissioned for the show from Maria de Los Angeles.

The exhibition includes work in a variety of media by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu, and challenges viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all.

VIEW Brochure

Date

January 23-July 25, 2026

Location

Bellarmine Hall Galleries and Walsh Gallery

Exhibition Details

Curator: Carey Mack Weber, Executive Director, Fairfield University Art Museum
Faculty Liaison: Aaron Weinstein, PhD, Assistant Professor of Politics

Explore the Exhibition

Watch, Listen, and Learn

On Thursday, January 22, 2026, Dr. Aaron Weinstein (Assistant Professor, Politics, Fairfield University) delivered the opening lecture for the exhibition "For Which It Stands..." His 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.

Browse Selected Images

For Which It Stands...

Wall Labels

  • Bellarmine Hall Galleries Labels

    Inside the Bellarmine Hall Galleries, the labels begin underneath the exhibition lettering, and continue clockwise around the front gallery, ending with the stairs.

  • Walsh Gallery Labels

    Labels begin to your left as you enter the Walsh Gallery, and continue clockwise. Labels marked with a star were contributed by Fairfield University faculty members.

Schedule of Events

Events listed below with a location are live, in-person programs. When possible, those events will also be streamed and the recordings posted to our YouTube channel.

More events will be listed as the exhibition approaches - please check our Eventbrite site to register.

Register for Events

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 streaming

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.

Bellarmine Hall, Great Hall and Bellarmine Hall Galleries (the Walsh Gallery will also be open for exhibition viewing)

Short Film Screening: Reclaim the Flag (2025)

Thursday, January 29, 7:30 p.m.

The screening will be followed by a discussion chaired by Sean Edgecomb (Professor of Theatre, 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 for the Arts 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 streaming

Lecture: Pictures and Progress: The Path of Black Liberation in American Photography

Thursday, February 12, 5:30 p.m.

Sarah Churchill, PhD (Adjunct faculty, Visual & Performing Arts)

Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Wien Experimental Theater and streaming

Lecture: American Art at the Crossroads: Between WPA Realism and Post-War Abstraction

Thursday, February 26, 5 p.m.

Viviana Bucarelli, PhD (Independent Scholar)
Bellarmine Hall, Diffley Board Room and streaming
Part of the Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. Lectureships in Art History, funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation

Art historian Viviana Bucarelli explores the legacy of the Museum of Modern Art’s wartime exhibition Americans 1943: American Realists and Magic Realists in the broader context of a shift in American art from the realism of the pre-war years toward the abstraction that came popular afterward.

Art in Focus: Jane Hammond, Untitled, 1993, oil on canvas with metal leaf

Thursday, March 12, Noon and 1 p.m.

Bellarmine Hall Galleries and streaming

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 streaming

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.

Art in Focus: Julie Mehretu, Corner of Lake and Minnehaha, 2022, color screenprint

Thursday, April 9, Noon and 1 p.m.

Walsh Gallery and streaming

Art Speaks!

Thursday, April 9, 6 p.m.

Campus and community members are invited to share their own responses to the exhibition through works of poetry and short prose.

Walsh Gallery

Lecture: Florine Stettheimer and Americana

Thursday, April 16, 5:30 p.m.

Barbara Bloemink, PhD
Bellarmine Hall, Diffley Board Room and streaming
Part of the Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. Lectureships in Art History, funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation

Art historian Barbara Bloemink, one of the foremost experts on Florine Stettheimer – a quintessential New York modernist – will give a talk exploring the artist’s passion for Americana, represented in the exhibition by the painting George Washington in New York, ca. 1939, on loan from Art Properties, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

Art in Focus: Rosson Crow, Fragility (Pax Americana), 2023, acrylic, spray paint, photo transfer, and oil on canvas

Thursday, May 7, Noon and 1 p.m.

Walsh Gallery

Family Day Series

12:30-2 p.m. and 2:30-4 p.m.
(Space limited; registration required)

Stars, Stripes & Brushstrokes: American Impressionism Workshop

Saturday, January 24

What’s so “American” about American Impressionism? We’ll use Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918 painting as a jumping-off point for a fun painting workshop in the American Impressionist style.

Bellarmine Hall, Museum Classroom

Red, White, and YOU!: A Comics Workshop

Saturday, February 21

Escape the chill and draw some comics with us! Participants will be guided to create a comic-strip-like depiction, either of a significant moment either in American history, or in their and their family's personal history.

Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Lobby

Stitching Stories: Design Your Family Flag

Saturday, March 28

Participants and family members will be invited to celebrate the flags of their family background by designing and creating a new flag that expresses their unique identity and heritage!

Bellarmine Hall, Museum Classroom

Bits & Pieces, Stars & Stripes: Reimagined Flags from Recycled Finds

Saturday, April 25

Participants will be invited to bring their own materials and choose from the broad array of fabrics, single-use plastics, egg cartons, and the like, to create a unique 3D flag assemblage inspired by some of the contemporary artworks that use unconventional materials, from American military gear to native wildflowers.

Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Lobby

Press

  • ArtDaily News

    Fairfield University Art Museum announces exhibitions to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S.

  • Connecticut News 12

    Road Trip Close to Home: For Which it Stands

Thank You

The Fairfield University Art Museum is deeply grateful to the following corporations, foundations, and government agencies for their generous support of this year’s exhibitions and programs.

We also acknowledge the generosity of the Museum’s 2010 Society members, together with the many individual donors who are keeping our excellent exhibitions and programs free and accessible to all and who support our efforts to build and diversify our permanent collection.

National Endowment for the Humanities logo

Horizon Kinetics logo

Art Bridges logo

CT Humanities logo

The Maximilian E and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation

M&T Bank Wilmington Trust logo

Robert Lehman Foundation logo

Wealthspire logo

Aquarionwater logo

Delamar Southport logo

WSHU logo

Westport Journal logo

Celebrating 250 Years of America logo

Art Institute logo

Center for Arts & Minds logo

America 250 Connecticut logo

Additional Information

Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Thursday until 8 p.m.

We are closed for national and university holidays and during inclement weather.

For GPS please use the following address:

200 Barlow Road, Fairfield, CT, 06824.

Bellarmine Hall Galleries

Free parking is available in front of Bellarmine Hall; handicap parking is available next to the service and classroom entrance on the lower level of Bellarmine Hall.

Quick Center

Free parking is available at the lot in front of the Quick Center, including handicap parking. Museum visitors may park in any available spot that is not marked reserved, handicap accessible only, or for service vehicles.

The museum is open to the public and admission is free.

Private tours with a curator are available for a fee; please contact museum@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4046.

Take Metro-North, New Haven Line, to Fairfield Station.
Approximately 70 minutes from Grand Central Station.

www.mta.info/mnr

(800) 638-7646

Contact Us

Fairfield University
Art Museum
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824

(203) 254-4046
museum@fairfield.edu

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1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824

(203) 254-4046

Plan Your Visit

Enjoy free admission every day—no reservations required.

Before you arrive, be sure to check current hours for the Bellarmine Hall and Walsh Galleries to make the most of your visit.

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