Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg

Career
Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg (born October 6, 1959) is an American artist. She designed the In America: Remember art installation which initially placed over 660,000 miniature white flags on the National Mall to represent every American life lost to COVID-19. undefined During the 17 day exhibition, another 41,000 flags were added due to uptick in COVID deaths in the fall of 2021, bringing the total flags to 701,000.

At the age of 50, Firstenberg “accidentally” became an artist and her first project was a sculptured bust of a woman, in a ceramics class. She works in mixed media, including painting, drawing, welding, neon-tube bending, stone carving, ice sculpting and more.

In 2023, Firstenberg began speaking about the connection between political extremism and addiction, based on research she conducted for the social change art she produces.

2024
alienable right to life

Freedom Plaza

Washington DC, USA

2023
The Empty Fix Project: Reflect II

Rockville Town Square

Rockville, Maryland

2022
The Empty Fix Project: Protect Them

Rockville Town Square

Rockville, Maryland

2021
In America: Remember

National Mall

Washington, District of Columbia

2020
In America: How could this happen…

DC Armory Mall

Washington, District of Columbia

2019
The Empty Fix Project: Unforgotten and Eyes (two exhibitions)

Executive Office Building Plaza, Montgomery County

Rockville, Maryland

One Bethesda Metro Plaza

Bethesda, Maryland

2016
Metro Arts Walk

Collaborative Public Art Project: Washington Metropolitan

Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Strathmore Hall Foundation,

and Montgomery County Public Schools (MSPS)

Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Plaza

North Bethesda, Maryland

2016
30th Annual Harbin International Ice Sculpture Competition,

Ice and Snow World, (Invitational)

Harbin, China

2016
21st Annual Harbin International Snow Sculpture Competition,

Sun Island; (Invitational)

Harbin, China

Reception

 * World’s Best Public Art of 2021 – Artsy Magazine
 * Washingtonian of the Year 2021 – Washingtonian Magazine
 * Resilience of the Human Spirit Recognition (2021) – National Geographic
 * Inclusion in “Google Year in Search 2021”
 * Information is Beautiful Award 2022 (shortlisted) --Global Data Visualization Society
 * Creativity Prize –Harbin International Ice Sculpting Competition; Harbin, China 2016

Personal life
Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg grew up in South Dakota, one of five children. She graduated from  the University of Kentucky with a BA and later received an MBA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Early career moves took her from the pharmaceutical industry to the United States Senate, where she staffed for Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) (1990-1991). For balance, Firstenberg volunteers with the terminally ill. She is married and has three children.

Media Notes

 * 1) * TEDx Foggy Bottom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-qUmeT1-fE
 * 2) * American Democracy Summit speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ3qf_s6GkA
 * 3) * https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/i-will-never-be-the-same-4-years-on-remembering-the-lives-lost-to-covid-19/3564258/
 * 4) * https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/03/17/covid-families-flags-pandemic-grief/
 * 5) * https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/04/02/a-striking-new-work-from-the-artist-behind-the-covid-flags-on-the-mall/
 * 6) * "Visitors See More Than Just Grief And Loss At COVID-19 Memorial In D.C." https://www.npr.org/2021/09/26/1040791827/visitors-see-more-than-just-grief-and-loss-at-covid-19-memorial-in-d-c
 * 7) *"Photos: Over 650,000 white flags commemorate pandemic's toll on the U.S." Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2021. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-09-20/photos-washington-dc-art-installation-covids-toll