The Banner Project: MFA Visit

In his Banner Project exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, artist Jeffrey Gibson uses large scale, bold symbols, and comic book-style storytelling to connect early American history with today’s chaotic political landscape. By hanging these giant banners high in the sunlit atrium of the Linde Family Wing, Gibson forces us to look up and slow down. In a fast-paced museum corridor, these oversized works act like speed bumps, making you pause and actually read what’s above you. It turns a busy public walkway into an unexpected space for deep, quiet reflection.

The visual style pulls straight from graphic novels, using an explosive, jagged speech bubble and an angry, cartoonish white horse to grab your attention. The words “HEAR YE!!!” channel the old-school colonial Town Crier, who used to yell out public warnings. But instead of warning us about an outside enemy, Gibson flips the script to talk about modern-day America, calling current political threats an “inside job” fueled by “weapons of nostalgia” and book bans. This clever mashup of historical roleplay and modern pop culture makes the heavy political critique feel incredibly urgent and accessible. He even hangs a quote from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack right below it, tying early American ideals directly to our current social anxieties.

On the flip side, the back of the banner moves away from text to give us a raw, abstract take on patriotism. Gibson reimagines the American flag with uneven, stamped stars and chaotic, messy red-and-white brushstakes that feel much more restless than a standard flag. If you look closely at the left edge of the banner, you can see a specific visual detail: a vertical row of circular metal holes. It looks just like the binding of a notebook or a legal document, subtly reminding us that the story of America isn’t set in stone, it’s an ongoing chronicle that we’re all still writing and questioning together.