Boulder’s official unofficial flag is here: Blue, yellow, Flatirons
UK artist Michael Stuart Trimmer wins contest hosted by Museum of Boulder
Bob Yates: Debating a Boulder flag reveals much about our community
The Museum of Boulder’s flag design competition was an exercise in creativity and fun, not an effort to create an official flag for the City of Boulder.
Native Americans grapple with historic legacy as Colorado celebrates 150 years
Museum of Boulder art exhibit highlights local Indigenous artists as Colorado marks 150 years
Museum of Boulder Announces Winning Design in Unofficial Boulder Flag Competition
BOULDER, CO | May 14, 2026 – The Museum of Boulder officially announced the winning design in its Unofficial Boulder Flag competition during a public reception held Wednesday evening at the Museum of Boulder, concluding a months-long community initiative that invited residents, artists, and designers to imagine a new visual symbol for the city.
The winning design, titled Flatiron Sunrise Flourish, was created by designer Michael Stuart Trimmer and selected following multiple rounds of blind review, discussion, and refinement led by a diverse community Review Panel.
The winning designer will receive a $500 award, and merchandise featuring the final flag design will launch Memorial Day weekend. All submitted designs, including finalists, will also be displayed in an installation at the Museum of Boulder.
After receiving nearly 200 submissions from professional designers, students, artists, and community members, the Review Panel selected 10 finalist designs through a blind evaluation process before choosing the winning flag following a final round of review and refinement.
Finalist designers included Todd Pitman, Michael Stuart Trimmer, Mel Rose, Steven Chester of Narrative Designs, Joey Major, Carolyn McHale of Boldface Design Group, Berger & Föhr (Lucian Föhr and Todd Berger), Ethan Thomasset, and Guillermo Tirado. More information on the final designs HERE.
The competition was developed as an opportunity to spark conversation around Boulder’s shared identity, history, landscape, and future through the language of civic design.
“This is an opportunity for dialogue about Boulder’s identity, heritage, and history,” said Emily Zinn, the Museum of Boulder’s newly appointed Deputy Director for Community Engagement.
The final phase of the process included a live design forum hosted by volunteers from the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), where finalist concepts were discussed and refined. The selected design was further refined in collaboration with NAVA volunteers with the artist’s permission and participation before the Review Panel reached consensus on the final version.
Reviewers cited the flag’s bold geometry, dynamic movement, and distinctive use of color as key strengths, describing the design as reflective of Boulder’s innovative spirit, natural beauty, and energetic identity.
Reviewers also noted the design’s intentionally unconventional structure and strong visual distinctiveness. Unlike many traditional municipal flags, the composition uses angular movement and asymmetrical forms to create a sense of forward momentum and emergence.
“Like the country, Boulder has felt a little divided lately. My hope is that a clear, community-made flag becomes a rallying point that reminds us what we share,” said reviewer Katie Daniels. “Boulder has been my home for many years, and I look forward to many more years with a new shared way to show city pride.”
“A city flag can be a strong visual unifying symbol reflecting pride and shared identity and belonging in a place,” said reviewer Bob Morehouse. “The timing is right for Boulder to adopt a flag that captures the resilience, innovation, and natural beauty of our community.”
The Review Panel acknowledged that no single design would reflect every individual perspective on Boulder, but emphasized that successful civic flags often become meaningful symbols over time through shared public connection and use.
“The introduction of a city flag — official or unofficial — represents a milestone for the Boulder community,” said Christopher R. Taylor, Executive Director of the Museum of Boulder. “This flag encapsulates the spirit of who we are as a community, and I am eager to see it waving proudly, representing our collective aspirations and values for generations to come. Thank you to those who submitted designs and to our committee of designers and community leaders who came together to aid in the selection process.”
The winning design draws inspiration from Boulder’s defining landscapes, culture, and history, with many finalist submissions throughout the competition incorporating elements such as the Flatirons, Boulder Creek, open space, bluebird skies, mining heritage, the Boulder Star, and the city’s strong connection to the outdoors.
Taking Care of the Objects That Tell Our Story: Part VIII
A Blog from the Museum of Boulder Collections
Inspired by the variety of tasks undertaken by the collection’s staff at the Museum to safeguard our permanent collection, this blog focuses on both the objects in that collection and what it takes to care for them.
Freedom From Want: How Boulder Achieves an American Ideal
Written by Maia DiTolla
Edited by Elizabeth Nosek, Curator of Collections & Exhibits
Upon entering the Museum of Boulder’s Boulder Eats! Food Traditions Along the Front Range exhibit, visitors are met with a family table set for a meal. For the duration of the exhibit, this table will change as various members or groups found within the Boulder community participate in “setting the table” to reflect their own cultural experiences. By reflecting these unique traditions and experiences, the exhibit emphasizes both the universality of sharing a healthy meal and the power of food to bring people together. Thus, the Family Table is central to introducing the themes of the exhibit to its visitors.
Though the table changes throughout the year, the underlying concept was introduced at the exhibit’s opening by recreating an iconic American image, Freedom from Want, with pieces from the museum’s own permanent collection. The museum has a collection of The Four Freedoms printed on newsprint by artist Norman Rockwell dating from 1943. Inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union Address in 1941, Rockwell’s Four Freedoms series was hung in American storefronts and homes to support the war effort. Rockwell translated Roosevelt’s lofty concepts of democracy into images with which everyday Americans could relate. Freedom from Want depicts a family dinner featuring an oversized turkey, implying that subsistence is not enough; to achieve freedom from want, Americans expect abundance, good health, and security for all its citizens.
Roosevelt’s four freedoms, memorialized by Rockwell, are still deeply ingrained in American culture today. Freedom from Want has been reused and reproduced countless times across media and popular culture and is commonly associated with the national holiday Thanksgiving.
It remains an ideological pursuit in much of the country as the cost of living and food continues to increase, food deserts—geographic areas with limited access to healthy and fresh foods—grow, and funding for social safety nets are cut or reallocated.
This is why Freedom from Want is the perfect choice to introduce visitors to the Boulder Eats! exhibit. The city was an early advocate for healthy living, as demonstrated by the Boulder Sanitarium’s whole-grain diet approach in 1896. Pioneers in the 1970s health food movement, Mo Siegel (Celestial Seasonings), Steve Demos (White Wave), and Mark Retzloff (Alfalfa’s) are also highlighted through objects from the museum’s permanent collection. Healthy living is discussed in several ways throughout the exhibit, including Anne Cooper’s more recent initiative on healthy school lunches pioneered in Boulder in the 2010s. Schools in the Boulder Valley School District sought to create healthy, delicious, and affordable lunches for all students, regardless of household income. These and other efforts continue to fulfill the freedom from want ideal at a local level.
Boulder Eats! demonstrates that, while the ideal depicted in Freedom from Want faces many obstacles on a national scale, it is very much achievable at a local scale through community efforts that use food to build comradery by sharing a meal around the family table.
Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want, 1943, ink on newsprint, 28 x 20 in. (71 x 51 cm), The Museum of Boulder, 2005.003.025a For more information on Norman Rockwell’s historic series: visit the Norman Rockwell Museum’s Youtube channel and view its videos: Freedom from Want, and Four Freedoms and that period in American life.
CU Boulder’s first Black professor, librarian honored with Bench by the Road
Bench honoring Charles and Mildred Nilon marks the 35th Bench by the Road nationwide and the first in Colorado
Read the article from the Daily Camera HERE.
Museum of Boulder opens historic archives, exhibits to the internet
Read the article from the Daily Camera HERE.
Museum of Boulder Expands Digital Access with New Online Collections and Multilingual Museum Guide
Read the article from Yellow Scene Magazine HERE.
If Boulder had a flag, what would it look like? Museum of Boulder wants residents to design one
Read the article from the Daily Camera HERE.
Statewide Traveling Exhibit: Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History
The award-winning exhibit, Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History, is going on the road, featuring unique adaptations for each host location! Continue to learn about Colorado’s rich and complex Black history with new stories, people, and places to discover around the state.
A comprehensive, but not complete, look at the African American experience in Colorado.
The goal of this project has been working collaboratively to preserve Colorado’s rich and complex Black histories, sharing them broadly, and integrating them into Colorado education.
Pueblo, CO: El Pueblo History Museum
January 19 – June 19, 2026
Rocky Mountain PBS – El Pueblo History Museum Debuts New Black History Exhibit (and related Instagram video)
KRCC – ‘Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History’ exhibit opens MLK Day at El Pueblo History Museum
Adrian Miller – exhibit walk-through video, opening event highlights
Aurora, CO: Aurora History Museum
July 14 – November 8, 2026
CPR News – Aurora History Museum Seeking Community Ideas for Upcoming Exhibit on the City’s Black History
The Sentinel – Aurora History Museum opens exhibit showcasing Black history across Colorado
City of Aurora – Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History: Aurora’ exhibit opens at the Aurora History Museum today, July 14
CPR News – Aurora History Museum debuts exhibit featuring Black people with Aurora connections
Denver, CO: Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library
August – December 2026
Lakewood, CO: Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park
January 19, 2027 – June 19, 2027
Golden, CO: Golden History Museum & Park
2028
Click below for free downloads of Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History curriculum for:
Second Grade
Fourth Grade
Eighth Grade
High School
Thank you to the University of Colorado Boulder, Celebrating CU Boulder’s 150th Anniversary for supporting this effort.
![Meet our Project Team: Adrian Miller: Co-Project Director and Lead Curator Award-winning researcher, "The Soul Food Scholar” Author, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time, The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, From the Washingtons to the Obamas, and Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. Lori Preston: Co-Project Director Executive Director, Museum of Boulder Aubrie Reed: Instructional Designer Instructional Designer for Proclaiming Colorado’s Black History, Museum of Boulder Katrina Miller: Audiovisual Media Producer Founder, Blackat Video Productions Director, This Is [NOT] Who We Are, The Silence of Quarantine Minister Glenda Strong Robinson: Oral History Liaison NAACP Boulder County Historian and Executive Committee Member; Associate Minister and Historian, Second Baptist Church; Lifelong Civil Rights Activist Emily Zinn: Project Manager and Lead Grant Writer Director of Education, Museum of Boulder Carol Banks: Creative Director Carol Banks Design, LLC Carolyn McHale: Senior Designer Bold Face Design Cyns Nelson: Oral History Archivist Manager, Maria Rogers Oral History Program at Boulder Public Library’s Carnegie Library for Local History Laureen Trainer: Project Evaluator Founder, Trainer Evaluation Nyasha James-Davis: Programs Creative Director of Programs, Museum of Boulder Jeffrey Neering: Oral History and Archival Research Master of Divinity Adderly Grant-Lord: Afrofuturist Gallery Curator Abstract artist, curator, organizer Elizabeth Nosek: Object display, acquisition, and preservation Curator of Collections and Exhibits, Museum of Boulder Leah Brenner Clack: Fall Mural Series Director Executive Director, Street Wise Arts Allyson Burbeck: Fall Mural Series Communications and Program Manager Communication & Program Manager, Street Wise Arts Meet our Advisory Council: Adam Bradley - Founding Director of the Laboratory for Race and Popular Culture (the RAP Lab) at UCLA and CU; former Board of Directors member for the Museum Yvette Bowden - Assistant County Administrator, Boulder County Ray Brown - Pueblo MLK Day Commission, Buffalo Soldier reenactor Tatiana Hernandez - CEO, Community Foundation of Boulder, Colorado Kathryn Hill - Past Executive Director, Museum of the New South Wanda James - CU Regent, and CEO, Simply Pure Dispensary Nikhil Mankekar - Award-Winning Civil and Human Rights Leader Wendell Pryor - Semi retired government official which included Director of the Colorado Civil Rights Division, human resources executive, educator, and social entrepreneur](https://museumofboulder.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Thank-You-Panel-2-scaled.jpg)
“New Exhibit Gives Viewers a Blast From Boulder’s Culinary Past”
Read the article from Westword HERE.
Request for Proposals (RFP) for New Unofficial Boulder Municipal Flag Design
Request for Proposals (RFP) for New Unofficial Boulder Municipal Flag Design
Issued By: Museum of Boulder
Submission Deadline: Friday, April 24 at midnight (MT)
Prize: $500 for Winning Design
Announcement update:
Our Review Panel for the Unofficial Boulder Flag contest have been in deliberations and are nearing consensus.
We had scheduled an announcement on May 11, 2026, but thanks to the overwhelming number and quality of submissions we have taken this selection very seriously and want to make a choice that Boulder will love.
As a result, we will announce in person on the 13th instead. There will be an in-person reception at 5PM at the Museum when a winner will be announced!
Join us for light refreshments and to see the other submissions in an installation at the Museum!
Vote for your favorite of the finalists at the Boulder Reporting Lab – Pick Your Favorite: Museum of Boulder Unveils Finalist Designs for Unofficial City Flag.
Also check out Colorado Public Radio – The City of Boulder Will Soon Raise a New Flag, But First it has to Pick a Winner
Introduction
The Museum of Boulder is inviting designers, artists, and community members to submit proposals for a new unofficial municipal flag that will represent the city’s identity, culture, and values. The flag will serve as a symbol of our shared heritage and innovative spirit.
With this initiative we hope to inspire dialogue about our heritage, identity, and history and invite artists and community members to showcase their own perspectives on how this community represents ourselves to the world.
We are looking for a design that is simple, meaningful, and distinctive, with the potential to become a proud and recognizable symbol for Boulder. The winning design will receive a cash prize of $500.
Design Guidelines
The Museum of Boulder encourages creativity and originality, but submissions must adhere to the “Five Principles of a Good Flag” from The North American Vexillological Association as outlined below:
- Keep It Simple
The design should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory. Avoid overly complicated patterns or imagery that are difficult to reproduce. - Use Meaningful Symbolism
The flag’s design should incorporate images, colors, or patterns that meaningfully relate to Boulder’s identity, history, or values. Consider how the flag represents our community, our environment, and our shared vision for the future. - Use 2 or 3 Basic Colors
Limit the number of colors used in the design to no more than three. These colors should contrast well and come from the standard color set (e.g., red, blue, yellow, green, black, white). Avoid overly complex color schemes that may detract from the flag’s clarity and recognizability. - No Lettering or Seals
The design should not include any text, names, or organizational seals. The flag should be purely visual in nature, relying on imagery and color alone to convey its meaning. - Be Distinctive or Be Related
The design should be distinctive and easily identifiable, avoiding similarities with other flags. However, subtle similarities to other flags that highlight connections to shared values or heritage are acceptable.
Eligibility
This competition is open to individuals and teams, including designers, students, and community members. No professional design experience is required to participate, but all submissions must adhere to the guidelines listed above.
Submission Requirements
Proposals must include the following:
- Flag Design
A digital rendering or drawing of the flag design with a standard 3:5 flag ratio. Submissions should be in JPEG, PNG, or PDF format. - Design Explanation
A brief (no more than 300 words) explanation of the symbolism and meaning behind the flag design. This should explain how the design aligns with Boulder’s identity and the Five Principles of a Good Flag. - Contact Information
The designer’s name, email address, and phone number. If submitting as part of a team, include contact details for all members.
Submission Process
Submissions must be emailed to flag@museumofboulder.org by Friday, April 24 at midnight mountain time. Please include “Boulder Flag Design Submission” in the subject line of your email. Designers may submit up to five designs.
There will also be a winner selected of the best amateur design and the best elementary school design. If you would like to be considered for those, please indicate so in the email.
Evaluation Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated based on:
- Meaningful symbolism and connection to Boulder
- References to our community heritage, history, and identity
- Adherence to the “Five Principles of a Good Flag”
- Creativity and originality
- Visual clarity and simplicity
Plagiarized, offensive, or irrelevant entries will be disqualified. AI-generated designs are not permitted. By submitting you consent to have your design shared.
All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of city representatives, local designers, and a member of the North American Vexillological Association:
Carol Banks (Founder of Carol Banks Design), Katie McKenna Daniels (Founder of McKenna Daniels Design), Chris Meschuk (Deputy City Manager for the City of Boulder), Bob Morehouse (Founder of Vermilion), Tom Myer (digital artist and founder of Thunder Wolf Native Arts and Culture), Danny Rankin (director of the Whaaat!? Lab at the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado), a representative of the North American Vexillological Association.
Read their expanded bios here.
Prize
The designer of the winning flag will receive a prize of $500. The winner will be announced on May 11 and the new flag will be officially unveiled at a public ceremony in anticipation of the inaugural Sundance Film Festival. Additional resources may be available to take complete concepts to final design and fabrication. The winning design will be reproduced in a variety of media for commercial and non-commercial use.
There will also be a winner selected of the best amateur design and the best elementary school design. These winners will be announced and displayed in some of the announcement materials and events and do not come with a cash prize unless the winner has received the overall prize.
Timeline
Submissions due: April 24, 2026
Winner announced: May 11, 2026
Contact Information
For questions or additional information, please contact Emily Zinn at emily@museumofboulder.org.
We look forward to seeing your creative designs and celebrating the unique symbol of our community!
Teacher Notes for Flag of Boulder Lesson
Teachers: We encourage educators to integrate this project into lessons on local history, natural resources, symbolism, identity, or the America 250 / Colorado 150 commemorations. Student-friendly activity sheets guide participants through the full process—from prior knowledge and symbolism (using the Colorado flag as an example), to brainstorming unique local ideas, and completing a final design for submission.
Review panelists: Unofficial Boulder Municipal Flag Design
Meet the reviewers
Bob Morehouse
Founder, Vermilion
Bob Morehouse has an extensive background in communication and design, including stints in film, landscape, graphic and interactive design. In 1980 he founded Vermilion, a Boulder communications firm with deep connections to front range business, educational and cultural organizations. He is an active participant in the civic life of Boulder, serving on numerous nonprofit boards and community endeavors.
Carol Banks
Owner, Carol Banks Design
Carol Banks is a Creative Director/Brand Designer based in Colorado and the owner of Carol Banks Design, a local graphic design studio focused on helping community organizations, nonprofits, and businesses tell their stories through thoughtful design. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado, and is honored to be a judge thi Boulder flag design contest. Before returning to Boulder, she spent 18 years in San Francisco refining her craft through projects ranging from boutique studio work to in-house design for Oracle. Her experience across sectors has made her an excellent listener and collaborator who can translate ideas into clear, engaging visuals. As a judge, Carol values originality, strong concept development, and designs that resonate meaningfully with the Boulder community.
Chris Meschuk
Deputy City Manager
Chris serves as the deputy city manager for the City of Boulder, Colorado. Chris joined the city in 2005 and has served in numerous roles in the city manager’s office and planning & development services department. He holds a master’s degree in urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado Boulder. Chris volunteers or is a board member with several community service and youth leadership development organizations.
Katie McKenna Daniels
Founder & Creative Director, McKenna Daniels Design
Katie has lived and worked in Boulder for over 20 years, growing strong roots in the creative and nonprofit communities. She served on the Board of Directors for AIGA Colorado for many years and currently sits on the advisory board for the Center for Humanities & the Arts at CU Boulder. As the Founder and Creative Director of McKenna Daniels Design, Katie brings deep experience in branding and communications. The company’s work focuses on helping mission-driven brands and organizations grow, evolve, and tell their stories through brand strategy, visual identity, reports, websites, and social media. Katie is passionate about design as a tool for connection, clarity, and community impact.
Tom Myer
Digital artist and founder of Thunder Wolf Native Arts and Culture
Tom Myer is a Native artist who moved to Boulder in 2019. He is Haudenosaunee (what your people called the Iroquois) on his father’s side, and Ngäbe-Bugle (the Meso-American tribe that ended Columbus’ fourth voyage to the New World) on his mother’s side. He is a self-taught artist who works in acrylics, pastels, pencils, and digital mediums. Find out more at www.myerman.art.
Danny Rankin
Associate Teaching Professor and Associate Director of Undergrad Programs
Danny Rankin is the director of the Whaaat!? Lab at the ATLAS Institute. Danny is an instructor in the Creative Technology & Design program. Both the courses he teaches and his individual research reflect a diverse array of expertise, including graphic design, material fabrication, game design, hardware hacking, sustainable agriculture and large-scale installation art. Rankin also mentors in the ATLAS BTU Lab. He holds a Master of Science from the ATLAS CTD program, and a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies from CU Boulder.
Representative of the North American Vexillological Association
The North American Vexillological Association is an international, non-profit, scholarly organization dedicated to vexillology, the study of flags and their cultural, historical, political, and social significance. It is the largest association of its kind in the world. NAVA advances vexillology as a social science. It does not participate in the patriotic promotion of any particular flag.
Founded in 1967, NAVA oversees a vigorous publications program, organizes an annual meeting (usually in October) in which vexillologists convene and showcase their research, supports flag conservation and flag research projects. It also holds frequent interest area meetings, promotes the study and implementation of flag design, offers awards to recognize and promote excellence in vexillological scholarship, and connects its members to one another in many flag-related areas.
With members across Canada, the United States, and around the world, NAVA comprises historians, educators, museum staff, government officials, flag retailers and manufacturers, writers, designers, collectors, and enthusiasts. Business members provide support to NAVA and often offer discounts to NAVA members. Membership is open to anyone in the world with an interest in flags—with lower dues for students, spouses, and those under 18. Libraries and schools can subscribe to NAVA publications.
NAVA is a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations, whose 50+ member associations coordinate flag studies worldwide and meet every two years at the international congress of vexillology, held in locations around the globe. Regional flag-studies groups in the U.S. and Canada affiliate loosely with NAVA, holding meetings and publishing on their own—many North Americans interested in flags belong to NAVA as well as their regional group.