For those who have the right to vote, it is a privilege. This privilege to voice our deepest concerns, our fundamental freedoms, and protections, is still being fought for in the streets today. Artists, protesters, organizers, thinkers, and laborers have all worked to establish existing rights, and these same people continue the fight today. 

To "flag something" is to draw attention to information that you think is important, crucial. Flags are visual communication tools that speak in symbols, emblems, and beliefs. They are tools of rebellion, oppression, and independence. Flags signal. Flags obscure. Flags demand. Flags inspire. Flags educate.

Carrying over from 2020 and coinciding with the United States Presidential election cycle, the KCAI FLAG PROJECT 2024 invited every faculty member, staff person and student from the Kansas City Art Institute community to create a flag that represents their beliefs and vision. Participants could use any material they elect with designs being abstract forms, photographic imagery, text, poetry, found materials, etc. Additional collaborative educational resources such as artists, podcasts, videos, and readings were made available to all participants.

In celebration of our right to vote and our freedom of speech, we present an exhibition within KCAI Gallery and an outdoor installation on the KCAI campus titled A Flag That Flies Large Enough. The flags exhibited in the gallery were made by students who received the special honor of being nominated by their classmates this fall, as numerous instructors included the KCAI Flag Project 2024 within their course curriculum.