3. Color Me America at Federal Hall

Mel Ziegler’s A Living Thing: Flag Exchange opened on September 6, 2017 in New York City’s historic Federal Hall. Curated by Hesse McGraw, the show features hanging U.S. flags from public and private locations like schools, homes, and hospitals. From 2011 to 2016, Ziegler traveled all over the country to collect the flags from all 50 states. Each has its respective state name embroidered onto it. The exhibition perfectly encapsulates the spectrum of our allegiance to the American flag and the various meanings people ascribe to it.

The exhibition’s location in Federal Hall — the United States’ first capitol building under the newly minted Constitution, where George Washington was inaugurated in 1789 — makes a powerful statement. Mel Ziegler’s A Living Thing: Flag Exchange is located at 26 Wall Street, in Manhattan’s Financial District, and will be on view through November 10, 2017.