Category: The Freedom Flag

Jaime Fregoso

Posted on by Liz Polmanski

Jaime Fregoso

he/him/his

Student Design: The Freedom Flag

  1. How does the flag you designed represent who you are and what you care about? 
    My flag is called Freedom, because as an LGBTQ+ cisgender Latino, freedom is very important to me.  Without freedom, we can’t be ourselves and be happy.
  2. Why did you decide to join the Flag 2021 competition?
    Because I want to express my creativity, and I want everyone to notice me and see that I have value.
  3. What did you learn about Cook County that surprised you?
    I learned that all of the things on the Cook County flag mean something.
  4. Tell us a short story about your collaboration with your flag mentor/partner(s). 
    My flag mentor is E-B Martinez.  Because of COVID, we had to send a lot of emails to each other.  But it always felt like we were working closely, because E-B’s emails were always enthusiastic and filled with lots of energy, encouragement, and great suggestions.

Martinez E-B

Posted on by Liz Polmanski

Martinez E-B
Adjunct Professor, Harper College Art Department

he/him/his

Design Mentor: Freedom Flag

1. What inspired you to become a mentor for the Flag 2021 competition?

I find the idea/notion of a flag to be amazing and I was intrigued by the idea of working with a student designer in the efforts of creating a wide-reaching visual identity piece for the face of Cook county.

2. Through this experience what did you learn from your student, and what did you hope to impart upon your student?

I hope that the student I worked with learned about the since of accomplishment that comes from having a goal and then being willing to revise, rework, and reimagine your tasks so that a goal may be achieved. During the process I had to learn how much of myself to offer and how much to scale back, as my student had a large amount of respect for my practice as an artist, but it was important for me and for the project that we created the students’ design.

3. Tell us about a favorite memory you have working with your student(s).

There isn’t simply one favorite memory. But I will say that the back and forth was fun as I was able to watch the student grow more confident each week as we reworked the in-progress version of the design. As an artist and an instructor, I have a pure enjoyment in watching students learn to be confident in their work.

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