The Banner Project | Reflection 4

The Banner Project | Mark Thomas Gibson

“The Banner Project” by Mark Thomas Gibson is a large-scale artwork displayed in the Eunice and Julian Cohen Gallery in MFA. Using large painted banners, Gibson brings a critical examination of American history, identity, and culture, making use of powerful imagery and symbolism in order to make viewers reflect upon the people who were excluded from American history and how their past influences the present.

One aspect of Gibson’s artwork that stands out is the sheer scale of his work. Gibson works on an unusually large scale, making his artworks the size of banners, flags, or posters. Gibson is able to draw attention to his artwork because of its unusual size, which contributes to creating a special atmosphere of importance and reverence around it. Gibson is able to tell the stories of marginal groups and underrepresented minorities using this technique, drawing attention to the larger issues they represent through the large scale of the artwork.

In addition to using recognizable elements of the American culture and history, Gibson incorporates unconventional symbols into his banners figures that defy traditional readings of American identity and history. By using unconvential American symbols, the horse with a male black figure and the brushed American flag with its stripes looking more like waves then linear lines, Gibson creates visual tensions among them, which encourages reconsideration of simplified interpretations of US history by viewers. The compositions created for the banners also resemble the graphics of comic books, murals, and historical panoramas where different aspects of life and various stories intertwine on the picture plane. While observing Gibson’s banners, viewers uncover stories related to US history and culture.

The Banner Project | Mark Thomas Gibson

“ The Crier is typically rendered in graphic lines and ink washes and decked in Revolutionary-era clothing; his words blare like news headlines, matching the pace of endless digital “doomscrolling.” Here, unfolding over three banners that resemble the panels of a comic strip, Gibson’s handmade drawings compel visitors to slow down when reading. In many ways a stand-in for Gibson — a Black man, a history buff, and a concerned citizen — the Crier takes on the role of Paul Revere astride his horse, hanging on for dear life and while shouting a galvanizing message. The banners also feature Gibson’s take on the American flag — a striking reenvisioning that explores its symbolism, promise, and reality and implores reflection on American history.” (MFABoston)

Additional Sources: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. “The Banner Project: Mark Thomas Gibson.” Accessed June 6, 2026.