Guest Artist Lisa Jenni, Redmond, Washington, USA

As I was reading the prompt in early October, my mind immediately started spinning about our American approach to the pandemic. I made lists, scoured the internet for explanations and metaphors. For another point of view, I contemplated the isolation of our Nation, applied to the whole USA by the current president in form of “America First”, rejecting treaties with friendly nations and waging trade wars but realized quickly the deepest personal impact during the last 8+ months was family separation. It truly weighs heavily on me. I feel isolated from family on two different continents, elderly, fragile parents and siblings in Europe, and a daughter married in Australia. Not being able to travel and hug our granddaughters makes the separation so hard.
The approach of the American government, creating a climate of denial for the impact of the Novel Coronavirus is beyond any comprehension I ever harbored in my heart for this nation. I was not prepared for ignorance, and how the public is not accepting the necessary change of habits and lifestyles. We are in a state of physical isolation as a country, – for crying out loud, we are not even welcome in Canada or Mexico!

My upbringing in Munich, Germany, had allowed me to move freely and travel the world, Italy, Spain, France, Israel etc., including even several Eastern European nations behind the “Iron Curtain”. Jump in a car, train or plane and go! My husband’s professional aspirations brought us to the Pacific Northwest in the United States. It was a long, sometimes painful process to get a permanent residency granted and finally after 10 years, we both became American citizens. About at that time, we also moved to a new house surrounded by forest, no neighbors in sight. Of course, we stuck an American flag out on our front porch.

Last year, after more than 10 years, my husband took down and replaced the flag on our porch post. The old flag really had gotten a bad beating by wind, sun, and our many rains left a green, slightly mossy trace. However, it still symbolized the long path to choose this nation as our home, which was a very deliberate act for us. I could not bring myself to just discard this flag. I washed it, of course it did not get clean(!), then soaked it in RetroClean for several weeks. I washed it again, it came out clean, but badly tattered and fragile. Nothing felt more as a metaphor and current than looking at that flag.

My fragile flag needed support, as our nation does. Choosing silver in the background fabric made a lot of sense to me, because I believe this nation will eventually come out of this deep valley, – ready to restore. I can see the proverbial Silver Lining in things to come, a renewed understanding of the importance of a functioning Social Safety Net, acceptance of healthcare for all and a possibility to renegotiate wages and workers conditions for prosperity in the future.

Only after I already stitched the outline of the states and all, I found out this did not work. Out comes the “Un-sewer”, AKA seam ripper and all stitching got reversed. 

My feeling of “being cooped up” has put a “Moat” around the United States Flag, adorned with barbed wire. It’s hard to accept that my brand-new US passport wouldn’t get me anywhere. Not the shining cities in Canada, not over the mountains, or to the sea in the south, certainly not on an international flight.

Locked Up Nation
Lisa Jenni
Dimensions h 39.5″ x w44.5″
Material: Vintage American Flag, silver cotton-lame and hand-dyed cotton, silk organza, fusible web, metallic, polyester and cotton threads, Perle cotton embroidery threads, fabric paint, artist’s oil pastels 
Technique: Pieced and quilted by machine, hand quilted circles, bobbin work with decorative thread, stamped and painted on fabric, stencilling of pastels, fusible direct appliqué