Terry Tomasello

Staff Photo by Dan Henry Leanne Lawson, events director for the Creative Arts Guild, views a few of the American Flag themed art pieces that will be displayed in Dalton July 6-24.

More than 40 depictions of the symbol of American independence will be on display in an upcoming exhibit in Dalton, Ga.

The fifth annual American Flag Show at the Creative Arts Guild will include flags created by a group of children using their handprints, a crocheted afghan and an image on a mirror created by a professional artist.

“July Fourth is an underrated holiday in terms of all of us remembering why we celebrate Independence Day,” said Terry Tomasello, guild executive director. “It is a time to think about all of the women and men who have given their lives for the country.”

An artists’ reception, featuring an all-American menu of hot dogs, chips, watermelon and apple pie, will be at 5:30 p.m. on July 10. Several pieces of art will be available for purchase, with prices ranging from $25 to $300. The money will benefit the artists and the Creative Arts Guild, officials said.

Just as firecrackers and picnics are a Fourth of July tradition in some communities, the annual flag exhibit is an anticipated event in Dalton, said Leanne Lawson, the guild’s events director.

The exhibit gives amateur and professional artists, children and adults, an opportunity to reflect on what the flag means to them and to express that through art, Ms. Lawson said.

This year’s exhibit includes original paintings, sculpture, drawings, photography, fiber and fine art prints and mixed media. The only specification given to artists is that their artwork include the American flag or a reference to it, Ms. Tomasello said.

Jo Lackey, of Berkeley Lake, Ga., has nine exhibits in the flag show and said she’s been painting flags since the terrorists attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The flag gives her a “warm feeling” in her heart and she hopes to encourage that same feeling in others, she said.

“Maybe I’m just patriotic,” Ms. Lackey said. “There’s love down in my heart when I look at the flag. We’re lucky to live here.”