In this art historical graduate thesis, I present and interrogate my definition of a banner, specifically how it can act as a form, an idea, an agent of protest, and an artistic medium.

My thesis views banners as active agents in protest. Banners exist across time and space, spanning continents, language, politics, issue, and form. Banners create space for voicing opinions, building community, and inciting change.

I focus on two artists to illustrate the breadth and depth of meaning embedded in banners. My artists of interrogation, Cauleen Smith and Aram Han Sifuentes, work with banners as an artistic, activist medium. In the projects I investigate, Smith and Han Sifuentes employ the visual language of banners, combining text and fiber to highlight injustices, critique institutional spaces, and pose alternative historical narratives.

Banners used for protest across time and place: this is the mission these artists develop.

Completed Spring 2025 at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Dual Degree: Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy and Master of Arts in Modern and Contemporary Art History.