Project Statement:
"The Colonies Become New Nations" explores the intersection of childhood indoctrination and American mythology through the lens of elementary school reward systems. The installation features fifty star stickers—mirroring both the contemporary flag and the original thirteen colonies—that interrogate how historical narratives are embedded in young minds through incentive structures. Thirteen stars, painted with chalkboard paint and arranged in a circle, bear the text of the Declaration's preamble, referencing the artist's own experience of coerced memorization at age ten, where the reward of a class pool trip necessitated deception to participate. The remaining stars contain abstracted images from a U.S. history textbook chapter on colonialism, their holographic surfaces reflecting the seductive, simplified version of American exceptionalism typically presented to children. By transforming these symbols of academic achievement into vehicles for historical critique, the work reveals how the promise of reward—whether a shiny sticker or national belonging—can obscure the complex realities of colonization and empire, suggesting that our earliest educational experiences train us to accept sanitized versions of power and conquest.

Artist bio: Maha Hmayed is a multidisciplinary Lebanese American artist whose expansive practice navigates the territories between cultural identity, symbolism, and imagination through geometric compositions, textile art, vibrant surrealist painting, collage, and sculpture. Working across diverse mediums, she creates thought-provoking works that transform familiar elements—from Islamic geometric patterns to domestic furniture — into rich visual narratives that challenge viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about belonging, conformity, and resistance. Her work invites audiences to explore the complex intersections of heritage, contemporary experience, gender, and personal mythology while offering a deeply personal meditation on navigating multiple cultural identities in contemporary society.
Maha's recent installation "The Colonies Become New Nations" interrogates childhood indoctrination and American mythology through elementary school reward systems, using fifty star stickers to reveal how historical narratives are embedded in young minds through incentive structures and the promise of belonging.
Maha received her MFA in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art and holds both a BFA in Photography and an MBA from Wayne State University.

Opening Reception: August 8th, 6-8pm