03/11/2025
Five Years On – March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic. In 2021, we placed white flags on the National Mall for every life lost to the virus in America. Every day, we planted more flags to keep up with the ever-rising death toll, reaching 701,000 by the end of the exhibit. The flags covered more than 20 acres in the largest public, participatory art exhibition on the National Mall since 1987.
Families gathered in the space to grieve, remember, and memorialize their loved ones lost to COVID-19. We saw tears, strangers consoling each other, and beautiful moments of community.
This art created a moment of pause and reflection for our nation. Five years on, we remember the lives lost to the virus. Five years on, we are reminded that remembering tragedy is the start of preventing future iterations.
If you were one of the many families that dedicated a flag to their loved one during “In America,” your flag lives on at: https://www.inamericaflags.org/
