‘Good people are being compelled to censor themselves’: exhibition of Black artists reinterpreting the US flag opens without key Dread Scott work

The University of Maryland’s David C. Driskell Center opened America Will Be! on 6 February 2026 (running through 8 May), an exhibition about Black artists’ reinterpretations of the US flag, but it did not include Dread Scott’s seminal installation What is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag? (1988). Scott said Driskell Center director Jordana Moore Saggesse initially requested the work on loan in February 2025, calling it central to the exhibition’s history, but later rescinded the request and ultimately told him in January 2026 it could not be shown. Saggesse and co-curator Nicole Archer cited “logistical constraints,” while Scott argued the decision amounted to “anticipatory censorship.” The work is known for sparking national controversy after its 1989 presentation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and for inviting visitors to respond to a flag placed on the floor alongside politically charged imagery.

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