Prayer Flag Project Aims To Connect Community Through Art

Seeking to spread messages of goodwill and peace, a local artist's passion project will soon be on display at a venue in Tulsa.

Lynda Jacobs, a therapist and fiber artist, specializes in trauma and stress relief for adults. Her therapeutic approach emphasizes reconnecting clients with their strengths, using mindfulness, body awareness, and compassion to address intergenerational patterns.

Jacobs launched the Prayer Flag Project over the summer in response to the growing social divides in the country. Jacobs said she sought to create a symbol of unity and peace for the community by displaying prayer flags.

The flags will first appear at The Den at WOMPA, aiming to spread goodwill during election season.

Image Provided By: Lynda Jacobs

Jacobs says creating the flags involves a meticulous process, including preparing silk by mordanting, a treatment that helps flowers and leaves adhere to the fabric.

Jacobs said she dampens the silk and arranges natural elements like leaves and flowers across it.

A tannin blanket, dipped in natural dyes such as oak gall and marigold, is then layered over the silk. The bundle is wrapped around a dowel, tied tightly with cotton T-shirt string, and steamed for 90 minutes. Participants in the project each make two flags — one to keep and one to donate — and unbundled their creations together.

Image Provided By: Lynda Jacobs

Jacobs envisions displaying these prayer flags at various community events and venues, such as universities, schools, bookstores, and forums.

Inspired by the ancient Tibetan tradition, where flags were used to spread blessings on the wind, her project aims to carry messages of compassion and goodwill across diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Each flag-maker contributes a unique blessing, recorded in a communal "Book of Blessings" while the flags steam.

Image Provided By: Lynda Jacobs

To Jacobs, the Prayer Flag Project is a personal response to despair. During a difficult summer, she hung flags on her backyard clothesline, finding comfort in this small action. The flags now remind her of her commitment to a compassionate approach, both in her work and life.

Community members interested in the Prayer Flag Project can find more information under the Studio section at thecontinuumthread.com.