User:Walterearle/People's Flag Show

In 1970 when anti Vietnam war protests were peaking, an American artist Mark Morrell created an exhibition of black coffin shaped boxes and draped them in large American flags. These sculptures were shown in the Stephen Radich Gallery in Manhattan, and were reviewed in the New York Times. The review was followed by an article about the arrest of Mr. Radich for Desecration of The Flag, under Federal Statutes. At that time Poet and Professor Jack G. Azarch called American artist Richard E. Schiff and set in motion what would become the People's Flag Show at the Judson Memorial Church.

Schiff and sculptor Neal Craighton Pace organized the space, with Reverend Howard Moody, of the Judson Memorial Church, himself a former Marine Chaplain. He agreed to play the role Radich played as "exhibitor" and Schiff insisted the organizers remain anonymous, in order to effect the same controls that duplicated those of the Radich show that led to his arrest. Reverend Moody doubted that the Federal Marshalls would arrest him, a man of the cloth. If they did not, than a real challenge would exist to fight the desecration law and remove it from the law.

Those were heated political times. There were many factions that came forward to be represented with an art work or group of art works. The only rule for entering art is that it had to incorporate either the image of the flag or simply stars and stripes of red, white or blue.

Faith Ringgold was commisioned by the People's Flag Show Committe to execute a Poster, which she did.

The night of the show's opening NBS WHite Paper was in the sanctuary to film the wntire affair. Abby Hoffman spoke to the crowd of hundreds and hundreds that came and went. Over 5000 art works were hung from ceiling to floor, and of those were some of the most famous artists practicing at that time, including Tom Wesselman and Robert Rauschenberg.

To everyone's surprise, suddenly and without warning Faith Ringgold, Jon Tosche and John Hendricks had themselves announced as the organizers of the show to garner some fame for themselves. The entire reason for the show was dashed to sunder. They were arrested, not Moody. No challenge was ever made to the Flag law, and the Judson three fade into history as an example of how greed and hubris can destroy a serious effort.