GLORY! GLORY! OFFERS REFLECTION, REMEMBRANCE, AND A REIMAGINING OF THE U.S. FLAG

From top left: Pigment founders Patricia Andrews-Keenan and Phyliss North, work by Candace Hunter, artist panel Robert Lewis Clark, Reggie McFly, Paul Branton, and Nnaemeka Ekwelum; Middle row: work by Candace Hunter, Patricia Jones Blessman, and former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, and champagne toast. Bottom row: Pigment merchandise, Vicki and Bruce Heyman, former Ambassador to Canada, with grandson Levi, Sylvia Ewing, and Pat Everett. Photos by Thought Poet and Isadore Howard.

GLORY! GLORY! opened in a spirit of celebration, remembrance, and civic pride, as Pigment International welcomed artists, collectors, and community leaders for a powerful evening of art and dialogue. 

The night was dedicated to the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr., who passed away last week. His decades of advocacy for voting rights and economic justice formed a resonant backdrop to an exhibition steeped in red, white, and blue symbolism. Guests were invited not only to view the flags lining the gallery walls, but to carry a miniature American flag home and share their own stories of civic participation. On-site voter registration underscored the exhibition’s call to action.

Among the evening’s distinguished attendees was former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. She shared a personal reflection on Rev. Jackson, recalling how her mother volunteered with Operation Breadbasket and brought her along—an early lesson in activism that helped shape her historic career. Also in attendance were former U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman and Vicki Heyman, the two represented the U.S. in Canada during the Obama administration.

A highlight of the evening was a dynamic artist panel featuring Robert Lewis Clark, Paul Branton, Reggie McFly, and Nnemeka Ekwelum. The conversation explored materiality, memory, and the evolving symbolism of the American flag in contemporary Black artistic practice.

The exhibition continues at Zhou B Art Center: Sundays 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; Tuesday–Thursday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Next up: Pigment Salon Talk on Friday, March 13.

As noted by the Sun-Times, Glory! Glory! is more than an exhibition—it is an invitation to reflect, remember, and reimagine the American narrative together.