The history of the Pride Flag, and its impact and inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community — and the world — was the topic of conversation in a special virtual panel hosted by The Heckscher Museum of Art. The panel provided a glimpse into how artist Gilbert Baker came to create the flag, the history of the rainbow imagery, and how the flag has touched people’s lives.
Jess Rosen, Curatorial Assistant, led the discussion which included Activist and Art Director Charley Beal and Curator Michelle Millar Fisher. Charley Beal is a lifelong social activist, an award-winning art director for film and television, and the president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation. Beal worked closely with Gilbert Baker beginning in 1994 when he assisted Baker with the creation of the Mile Long Rainbow Flag for Stonewall 25, and continued to collaborate with him on various pride celebrations around the globe. Michelle Millar Fisher is the Ronald C. and Anita L. Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Millar Fisher was largely responsible for adding Baker’s Rainbow Flag to the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and published a children’s book that tells the story of Baker creating the Pride Flag alongside the wonderful illustrations of San Francisco-based artist Kat Kuang.
