In the mid seventies, my family lived in Campinas, Brasil. Being an American kid in a foreign country I was very "rah, rah America" and worshiped all things American. During the summer of '76 we came back to the States to visit family and our trip coincided with the bicentennial. For me, it was like the entire country was celebrating and I was 100% in. For years, well into college, I saved every '76 quarter I found. That summer we visited my Aunt's and Uncle's house in farm country, Illinois. Their small town was super friendly and very close knit. People would wave at you from pick up trucks, even if they didn't know who you were visiting - although they usually did. Our family mostly lived in suburban areas so I loved to visit the farm: there were tractors to ride, an unused barn with a swing, lots of cats and dogs, books to read and a dirt bike.
For the Fourth, there were picnics and baseball games. It's funny the way you remember small details like watching my cousins' boyfriend (now husband) play baseball or watching the fireflies over the corn and bean fields. For some reason, one of the most vivid memories is that my Aunt loaned me a t-shirt that belonged to one of my cousins that I spilled grape juice, or some other liquid that stained, all over it. My cousin was really mad at me because I spilled on it.
This holiday also reminds me of family reunions with my dad's relatives. He came from a huge family and there would be drinking, boating, skiing, fishing and food. Lots of food and lots of drinking. Vodka soaked watermelons (that once we were teens, we helped ourselves liberally), home brewed beer were followed up by church on Sunday. Three different relatives were ministers. For me, that was always one of the stranger parts of the week since my family didn't go to church on a regular basis. My dad, uncles and their cousins would compete to see who could buy the most fireworks and they would put on a massive firework show.
When I became a teenager and really embraced punk music, I found comfort in ideas of anarchy, in bucking the status quo, and generally being obnoxious. One summer, my mom went out of town for the holiday (or near the holiday) and my friends and I had a party at my house. In order to sarcastically celebrate we liberated flags from the neighborhood and used them for sofa covers, tablecloths and curtains. The only other thing I remember from this party is there was a lot of drinking. Oh, and I ended up with a flag or two.
In college I started to become more aware of global issues. I read about vaginal mutilation. I participated in anti-apartheid demonstrations. I learned about feminism, the male gaze and misogyny. During this time I covered one of my sketchbooks with an American flag and proceeded to deface it with doodles. I found it very surprising that my liberal mom didn't like it. It brought up too many memories of the Vietnam war. She never has had problems telling me when she doesn't like my art, and I've always appreciated her tactful honesty.
Much of my art deals with politics and the system. American Dreamer was an entire installation dealing with the worship of government, religion and mass media. Many of my collages look at the government vs. the individual and the secular vs. the sacred. In fact most of my art has roots in these threads.
So today I think about America and what it means to be and American. I think about why to me that word means "from the USA" even though as a kid I lived in South America which is part of the Americas. Happily I have co-opted the phrase as do many of us. I think about the freedoms we have, the beauty of my surrounds and the amazing people I encounter. I also have to think about our poverty, misogyny, racism, classicism and gender bias. My heart breaks when I consider the struggle many of us go through daily to survive.
Dave and I might go watch the fireworks over the bay or we may just hang out at home and play video games. Either way it's time together, time with family. Hope that this day finds you happy and healthy and with the ones you love whether you're with them in the physical, digital or astral realm.
Happy Fourth!