The final design for the new Minnesota state flag has been chosen. After months of discussion and thousands of public comments and submissions, the State Emblems Redesign Commission has moved forward with an adapted version of design F1953, submitted by Andrew Prekker of Luverne, MN.
The commission made some significant changes to the proposed design. The commission opted for the right side of the flag to be solid light blue rather than the proposed white, blue, and green stripes. According to the design brief, these colors paid homage to MN’s snowy landscape, rich agricultural history, and the significance of water and lakes to the region.
The commission also made adjustments to the shape of the North Star, opting to include eight points with one facing up. The star is also featured in the middle of the state Capitol rotunda. Although there was discussion to change the dark blue K shape on the left side of the flag to more closely reflect the shape of the state’s borders, the commission decided to keep it symmetrical.
The decision to move forward with the design came down to an 11-1 vote, with one commission member in opposition to swapping out the stripes for the blue. At this point, unless the state Legislature makes adjustments, the new flag will be raised on flagpoles on May 11, which is Minnesota’s Statehood Day.
More than 2,000 flag designs were initially submitted by the public for consideration, which were eventually narrowed down to six, and then three. Earlier this month, the commission determined the new state emblem will feature a loon-centered design.
The Legislature established the commission to choose new designs before the end of the year. Some legislators have raised concerns about the existing flag, which features the current state emblem of a Native American on horseback in the background of a white farmer tilling soil, as being insensitive, unrecognizable, and too cluttered with details.
“Our flag has come under a lot of criticism for the images and the message it conveys,” historian Anita Gaul, the commission’s vice chair, told us in October. “So let’s come up with a flag that unifies us instead of divides us.”
