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After months of deliberations, where we looked at nearly 300 submissions, the Syracuse Flag Committee is excited to announce that we have selected four semifinalists! They were first unveiled publicly today to the Common Council at 12pm noon, which you can watch the video of here!
You can check out these designs on our website, or in-person at City Hall (233 East Washington Street, Syracuse, NY 13202). Additionally, within the next few weeks, these designs will be printed and flown in Clinton Square!
The Committee is also accepting public feedback! You can come to one of our public sessions which will be listed soon on the website here, or in our form here, where you can rank each option and post comments on individual designs. This form is only open to Syracuse residents, and will be open until June 6th.
Afterwards, the Committee will use this feedback to select a finalist, which will be showcased to the Common Council on June 14th (Flag Day!), for approval/recommendations.
I will be around to answer any questions you might have about the semifinalists, the process going forward, or the initiative more generally. I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day, and I can't wait to hear your feedback on the design!
We will be extending the Public Feedback Period until June 10th + Other Announcements!
Hello everyone!
I wanted to announce that we will be extending public feedback until Saturday, June 10th, to ensure that as many people as possible will be able to send in their comments. However, the rest of the timeline has not changed. We are still planning on presenting a finalist to the Common Council next week Wednesday, June 14th. I will let you know if this changes.
Otherwise, throughout this week we will be holding flag raising ceremonies featuring physical copies of the semifinalist designs! Here are the dates and times for each one:
These will all be held in front of City Hall (233 E Washington St, Syracuse, NY 13202) at the flagpoles, where the flags will stay up until the next day. So, stop by to check them out flying in the wind!
As well, we will be tabling across different locations within the city. Here are the date and times where committee members will be available to provide flyers, record your feedback, and ask questions:
Salt City Market | 484 S. Salina Street 6/4/2023 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM, 6/6/2023 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Central Branch Library | 447 S. Salina Street 6/3/2023 9:00 - 11:00 AM, 6/6/2023 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM, 6/7/2023 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Beauchamp Library Branch | 2111 S. Salina Street 6/3/2023 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM, 6/5/2023 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM, 6/10/2023 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
White Branch Library | 763 Butternut Street 6/5/2023 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Hazard Branch Library | 1620 W. Genesee Street 6/5/2023 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM, 6/6/2023 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Petit Branch Library | 105 Victoria Place 6/3/2023 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Finally, we will be conducting another AMA on r/vexillology tomorrow between 12 to 2pm, this time with the semifinalist designers!
Thank you all for the comments and votes and support that you have given throughout this period, and I hope to see you all in-person, or digitally, soon!
Sincerely,
Ikechukwu Okereke
Last edited by Syracuse_Flag; 06-06-2023 at 07:47 PM..
I just wanted to let everyone know that today will be the last day that you can provide feedback on the semifinalists released by the Syracuse Flag Initiative! Just as a reminder, they are:
One of Syracuse's nicknames is ‘Salt City’ because of its salt springs, and the city was a top salt producer in the country for much of the 19th century. If you look at salt under a microscope, it looks like a cube or a square/diamond with a smaller indent in the middle. This shape under a microscope is specifically unique only to salt! Therefore, I used it as inspiration for the shape that is in the middle of the flag. I purposely tilted the square/diamond salt symbol to depict a hill/mountain. This is to represent the Onondaga Nation who are named the ‘People of the Hills.’ The Erie Canal brought major growth and prosperity to the city and represents the blue line that goes across the middle of the flag.
The First Light flag represents our land, our people, our hopes, and our dreams. The six-pointed star symbolizes the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee and the six historical names by which Syracuse has officially been known. The triangles represent the hills of Onondaga and the Onondaga Valley. The orange color symbolizes the sun and restoration. The azure blue color symbolizes Onondaga Lake and perseverance. The navy-blue color symbolizes the hills of Onondaga and industriousness. The white color symbolizes salt, snow, and peace.
The 'Unity' flag design boldly celebrates the City of Syracuse's rich history, central location, and unique character. Its simple yet striking design carries powerful messages of unity, nature, and place. The four inward-facing arrows symbolize Syracuse's historical significance as crossroad for democracy, commerce, and innovation. This flag serves as a unifying symbol for all who call and have called Syracuse home, yesterday, today and for generations to come. So fly it high, Syracusans, and show your pride in being part of the fabric of this one-of-a-kind city.
This flag was designed to be not just a flag of Syracuse but one of Central New York. The colors, orange, white, and blue, represent courage, harmony, and freedom respectively and depicts a winter evening sky over Onondaga Lake. The tree represents the Haudenosaunee as well as the future growth of the city. The circular charge intersecting the white line creates the alchemical symbol for salt, one of the most important industries in the city’s history. Finally, the eleven-pointed star stands for New York State, the eleventh state to ratify the Constitution.
If you wanted to check out the designers, and learn more about how and why they constructed their flag, you can check out the AMA we recently did or watch a recording of the Art Store event last week! Otherwise, you can submit your feedback online here or check out if we have any in-person tabling today here.(Only Syracuse residents will be considered!)
Thank you so much for all of your time, interest, and help throughout this project, and I cannot wait to unveil the finalist to you all on Flag Day (June 14th) next week!
^I like the second out of those final submissions. Its symbolism appears to fit many aspects of the city at once.
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We will be extending the Public Feedback Period until June 10th + Other Announcements!
