Flags of Intention:

Project inspires to honor the earth

By Dawne Belloise

The local “Flags of Intention” project is transforming local festivals and public spaces into vibrant canvases of hope, environmental awareness and community connection one handmade flag at a time. Launched by the group who created the Crested Butte Wheels of Intention, which are installed throughout town, the Flags of Intention project has manifested with support from volunteers, the Upper Gunnison River Watershed Coalition and the Crested Butte Arts Festival. 

The grassroots initiative invites people of all ages to decorate and personalize fabric flags with printed art and handwritten intentions that express love for the valley and respect for nature. “We’re giving people a voice to share what’s important to them,” says one of the project coordinators, Caroline McClean. She adds that from kids to elders, people seem excited and grateful to participate. The purpose of the flag project is to raise awareness of our watershed, to be good stewards and practice Leave No Trace ethics, according to McClean.  

She explains, “We have reached a tipping point, there are too many people and not enough resources to clean up after them. The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association hauls out backcountry trash by the ton. It’s a sad situation and it appears that people need training and knowledge on how to be respectful visitors to our natural areas. We are loving Mama Earth to death.”

McClean feels that there is a sparkle and magic for people in creating their own Flag of Intention and it gives them a voice to share what’s important and why they love this valley. There’s a list of “intention words” available but most people come up with their own inspirational inscription. In addition to McClean, Neil Windsor, Andrew Arell and Mimi Mather are also a big part of the team essentially headed by McClean who labels herself as a “Yogi in action, ruthless recruiter/instigator, tree hugging visionary of an angry woman because I care about the health of Mama Earth, the health of our community and for the future.”

The project builds on the legacy of the now retired Red Lady flags initiated by HCCA. Volunteers help design and sew the flags, host pop-up art tables and facilitate conversations around the Leave No Trace ethics and watershed stewardship. Over the summer, the group has hosted eight pop-up events including five at Alpenglow concerts throughout July with more than 400 flags created so far. Each colorful flag, printed with marker on the donated batik fabric or solid colors, carries personal messages like, “Be kind to yourself and the Earth,” “All creatures deserve respect,” “Peace,” “Empower” and “Headwaters rock.”

The effort will culminate at the Crested Butte Arts Festival, August 1 through 3, where the group will host two tables next to the Trailhead Children’s Museum at Fifth and Elk Avenue. Following the festival, the collection of flags will be installed as a temporary public art display behind town offices along the Gothic Field fence. The display will be there from August 4 through September 5. “This is all about redirecting energy from complacency to action,” McClean said. “We live at the top of the watershed, surrounded by public lands. We need clean water and a healthy ecosystem, our scenery pays the bills.”

McClean says this project has been a hands-on learning experience. “Most flags are all cotton, multicolored and some with print. The print flags are from donated material. Early on, a local gave me a huge stack of Bali batik fabrics in a variety of colors and patterns. Someone else gave me material with frogs and flowers but most of the flags are solid color cotton material bought in Gunnison. We started with the basics of red, blue, green, yellow and white but have expanded into purple, orange, pink and more because people love variety. Pemba Sherpa also brought traditional blank prayer flags home from Nepal.”  

To date, volunteers have helped create more than 1,000 flags to be written on. Prepping the material, McClean washes and irons it, then takes it to Function before Fashion where the flags are cut and then delivered to the five volunteer seamstresses who sew an edge for a cord. Ten local artists designed 25 unique block prints, many depicting themes from the surrounding watershed.

Funding started with a $500 mini-grant from the Upper Gunnison River Watershed Conservation District. McClean suggests a $10 donation per flag and they’re offering limited-edition, pre-printed flag strands for $50 to help cover costs. There are two DIY printing kits in development for use by schools and nonprofits. 

In addition to the flag project, the original project, Crested Butte Wheels of Intention, continues to maintain its eight wheels downtown and envisions a larger, mobile art installation in the future. “We’re asking the universe for someone to help us create a permanent, traveling Wheel of Intention, something that honors our mountain home and inspires stewardship everywhere it goes,” said McClean. For more information or to get involved, visit www.cbwheelsofintention.com.