More Than 600,000 White Flags On The National Mall Honor Lives Lost To COVID

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White flags stand near the Washington Monument on Tuesday. The flags, which will number more than 630,000 when the temporary art installation on the National Mall is completed, are part of artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg’s In America: Remember, honoring Americans who have died of COVID-19.

Patrick Semansky/AP

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Patrick Semansky/AP

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«I wanted to focus on my message. I didn’t purposefully start out to do a large-scale installation. My outrage led me,» Firstenberg said in an interview with NPR.

The 62-year-old artist began to visualize the idea for the installations in March 2020 during the beginning stages of the COVID-19 pandemic after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that Americans should be willing to take the risk of the coronavirus to protect the U.S. economy.

That message left Firstenberg with an array of emotions.

«That really disturbed me. I just felt as though someone had to do something to make a statement that with all these people dying, we had to value each of these lives as well,» she said.

She uses art as a way to focus on social issues in the world

Having spent years as a hospice volunteer, as well as working on Capitol Hill and in pharmaceutical new-product development, Firstenberg says she originally did not start out as an artist.

However, after taking a series of art classes, she discovered that art was a way to focus on her message when it comes to addressing social issues.

«Once I realized there was an art within me, I took every class I could,» Firstenberg said. «I learned every material I could because I wanted to use a whole range of materials to see what I needed to say.»

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Artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg poses with one of the white flags that were installed in the fall of 2020 near D.C.’s RFK Stadium. This month, thousands more will be featured in her latest exhibit on the National Mall.

Bruce Guthrie/Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg

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Moved by the emotional response after her first exhibit, she began reaching out to the National Park Service in hopes of bringing her project to the National Mall.

«So many of these deaths happened in isolation without acknowledgment,» she said. «When I had an opportunity to bring it to the National Mall, even though it’s an immensely greater task, there was no hesitation. I knew I needed to do it.»

As the number of deaths increased, so did the number of flags

In the time between Firstenberg’s first exhibit and the second, almost 400,000 more people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.

More than 660,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S., and there have been more than 41 million confirmed cases.

Preparing for this year’s installation, Firstenberg says she purchased 630,000 white flags in June to correspond with the total number of lives lost to the virus.

But after double-checking the numbers against the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, she realized she would need to order at least 60,000 more flags.

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An art installation last year created by Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg and located near RFK Stadium featured 267,080 white flags representing the staggering loss caused by COVID-19.

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

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Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

An art installation last year created by Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg and located near RFK Stadium featured 267,080 white flags representing the staggering loss caused by COVID-19.

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

«I’d run the numbers and check them several times, and I felt really assured that come the first week of October, I would not have used more than 630,000 flags,» Firstenberg said.

Unlike with the installation at RFK Stadium, people will have the chance to leave messages and dedicate flags digitally if they are unable to see In America: Remember in person, another way to connect those who have lost a loved one to the project.

The flags will be on display from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3.

• art exhibits
• COVID-19
• national mall
• Washington Monument