Creative Time Raises Artist Jayson Musson's Pledges of Allegiance Flag

Creative Time has just announced the hoisting of the fifth public artwork in the Pledges of Allegiance series, A Horror by artist Jayson Musson, which will be raised today, October 11. Pledges of Allegiance is a serialized commission of sixteen flags, each created by acclaimed artists to reflect the current political climate.

Musson's flag forces the viewer to engage in an all too befitting commentary on our political present. "While Walter Benjamin referred to the history of civilization as a history of barbarism, Jayson Musson sees this phenomena in the spirit of SAW, Leprechaun 2, and The Exorcist." said Nato Thompson, Artistic Director at Creative Time.

"I find patriotism lazy; I was born Here, therefore Here is great," said Jayson Musson. "Patriotism is a part of the progression of history in which a few mighty sovereign states crushed nearly the entirety of the globe underfoot in pursuit of their inalienable rights which more often than not, was simply the pursuit of riches."

Jayson Musson's flag will be raised at the following seven locations:

1. Creative Time headquarters at 59 E 4th Street in New York, NY
2. University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa, FL
3. Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) in Detroit, MI
4. Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY
5. KMAC Museum in Louisville, KY
6. RISD Museum at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI
7. 21c Museum Hotel in Durham, NC

ABOUT THE ARTIST, JAYSON MUSSON
Brooklyn-based artist Jayson Musson burst onto the scene in 2010 in the form of his online hip-hop alter ego, Hennessy Youngman, offering hilarious and strident discourses on contemporary art and its discontents through his video series, Art Thoughtz, which quickly became an Internet phenomenon. In his non-video work, he also works in the productive gap between high and low culture. In writing, performance and visual art that incisively satirizes and confuses pop culture and the art world, Jayson Musson provokes the boundaries that define cultural stereotypes. Musson's consideration of a public extends beyond the confines of art institutions, deliberately entering the open arenas of mass media. Musson's latest solo exhibition, Demon All Day, opened in May at Salon 94 in New York City.

ABOUT PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE
Pledges of Allegiance is a nationwide public art project by Creative Time. The project is a serialized commission of sixteen flags, each created by acclaimed contemporary artists: Tania Bruguera, Alex Da Corte, Jeremy Deller, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Ann Hamilton, Robert Longo, Josephine Meckseper, Marilyn Minter, Vik Muniz, Jayson Musson, Ahmet Ögüt, Yoko Ono, Trevor Paglen, Pedro Reyes, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Nari Ward.

Each flag embodies art's ability to channel political passion, providing a unifying symbol around which to unite, as well as a call-to-action for institutions nationwide to raise upcoming Pledges of Allegiance flags in solidarity with Creative Time.

Pledges of Allegiance aims to inspire a sense of community among cultural institutions, beginning with an urgent articulation of the political demands of the moment. Each flag points to an issue the artist is passionate about or a cause they believe is worth fighting for, and speaks to how we might move forward collectively as a country. To inaugurate the project, Creative Time raised Marilyn Minter's RESIST FLAG on the roof of its headquarters on Flag Day, June 14.

Pledges of Allegiance was originally conceived by Alix Browne and developed in collaboration with CIan Browne, Fabienne Stephan, and Opening Ceremony.

ABOUT CREATIVE TIME
Creative Time, the New York based public arts non-profit, is committed to working with artists on the dialogues, debates, and dreams of our time. Creative Time presents the most innovative art in the public realm, providing new platforms to amplify artists' voices, including the Creative Time Summit, an international conference convening at the intersection of art and social justice.

Since 1974, Creative Time has produced over 350 groundbreaking public art projects that ignite the imagination, explore ideas that shape society, and engage millions of people around the globe. Since its inception, the non-profit organization has been at the forefront of socially engaged public art, seeking to convert the power of artists' ideas into works that inspire and challenge the public. Creative Time projects stimulate dialogue on timely issues, and initiate a dynamic experience between artists, sites, and audiences.

For more information on Creative Time please visit www.creativetime.org. To connect with us via twitter use @CreativeTime and find us on Instagram @CreativeTimeNYC. To share the project on social media use the hashtag #PledgesofAllegiance.

Photo by Nicholas Prakas, Courtesy of Creative Time

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