Considering Utah voices in a new state flag design: thousands of submissions being narrowed down

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox views flag design submissions at the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2002 | Photo courtesy of Utah Office of Lt. Governor, St. George News

SALT LAKE CITY — Refining the state’s flag design is itself a nod to Utah history. Utah’s flag has been altered at least three times since it was launched as the Governor’s flag in 1903. That’s when a blue flag with white stitching was quickly created for presentation at a World’s Fair.

Unauthorized alterations?

Collage shows the subtle (and sometimes unauthorized) changes made to Utah’s state flag over the years. | Image courtesy of Todd Anderson, Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, St. George News.

One alteration came in 1913 when a flag manufacturer added an unauthorized gold ring around the state seal, and Utah leaders decided to keep it.

In addition, the flag that most Utahns grew up with was another unauthorized design. A date – 1847 – had been added incorrectly by a seamstress under the state seal. State flags replicated that error for nearly 90 years, until it was corrected by a Legislative resolution in 2011.

More than a Flag: Hearing Utah voices

Considering these incremental past updates offers a springboard to something new: the More Than A Flag initiative. 

Driving the effort is Utah leaders’ intention to have a statewide conversation about redesigning Utah’s state flag. 

In a recent survey, a majority of respondents said they respect the history of Utah’s current flag — but they reported that the design doesn’t really represent them very well.

This spring, the More Than A Flag initiative invited Utahns to submit ideas for the themes and colors that would represent our state on a 21-century banner.

The effort invokes vox populi, the Latin phrase for “voice of the people,” to create the “people’s flag,” similar to the way the Utah State Capitol functions as the “people’s house.” Rare among the country’s statehouses, the Utah Capitol is open 365 days a year.

By the April 30 deadline, more than 7,000 flag ideas, including 5,703 designs, had been submitted from every county in the state. More than 1,000 designs were hand-drawn flags submitted by students, many after flag workshops in their schools.  

By the numbers: the big picture

Fingers make the shape of a flag against a background of submitted Utah state flag designs, June 2022. | Image courtesy of Todd Anderson, Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, St. George News.

Those designs were posted at the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement offices in June for volunteers on the Design Review Subcommittee to consider. 

The display of submissions was like “a statewide art appreciation class,” said Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, who heads the Utah State Flag Task Force.

“I get teary-eyed when I think of all these people helping design the flag,” said Rep. Elizabeth Weight, a Task Force member, when she viewed those submitted designs. “The new flag will be one that people can point to and say: ‘I was part of the evolution of that flag.’”

Colors and symbols and themes: Oh my!

One popular color palette for a new Utah flag was the traditional red, white and blue, some designs additionally sparked with golden yellow. Another color scheme contrasted sky blue with red-rock orange, paired with white to symbolize snow-capped mountains.

Some of the most popular themes submitted were: 

  • Beehives or the Beehive constellation to represent Utah as the Beehive State; 
  • Stars, circles, or other symbols to represent Utah’s eight sovereign Tribal nations. 
  • Sego lilies and aspen leaves, to represent state symbols, or bees to represent the state theme of “Industry,” with other elements representing Utah’s diversity;
  • Another big Utah idea? Residents say they are proud of Utah’s dramatic, varied landscapes.

Timeline: What’s next?

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson views flag design submissions at the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 2002 | Photo courtesy of Utah Office of Lt. Governor, St. George News

Artists, arts educators, designers, and historians on the Design Review Subcommittee have considered submitted concepts. Several dozen designs were presented to a separate group of flag designers to create “flag-ready” images.

In early September, some 20 flags are scheduled to be posted for public feedback on the state’s More Than A Flag website. These designs will also be printed as flags for pop-up exhibits and media events.

In the fall, the Design Review Subcommittee will select three final designs, and then the Task Force will suggest the best design to be considered for adoption by the Utah Legislature in November.

A new flag rooted in history

The current state flag design most likely won’t go away. In a nod to Utah history, the flag may again be labeled as the Governor’s flag.

Utah’s state flag – which prominently features the state seal with two American flag panels and a large bald eagle, the country’s national symbol – is representative of a time when a young state wanted to be known for its national zeal, historians say. 

A new flag design, state leaders say, is an opportunity to represent the state’s past, present, and future.

Written by ELLEN FAGG WEIST, public information officer for Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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