Strategic Planning

October 30 – November 20, 2018

In her new work, Chantal Zakari raises a warning flag about the terminology that has been widely adopted by academic administrations. The business term, “strategic plan,” originated in the military, and is now a staple of every university and liberal arts college. It functions as a promise for positive change and improvements to the bottom line. The designs of Zakari’s flags and pennants are a study of visual elements from various historical periods. The vernacular imagery points to hollowness of corporate language. At a time when an increasing number of small colleges are under financial stress due to a shrinking student population and soaring tuition costs, the flags in this exhibition remind us that the true ideals of higher education may be at risk.

This exhibition is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania