Purpose of the Commission
Develop and adopt a new design for the official state flag and the official state seal no later than January 1, 2024.
The Commission shall develop and adopt a new design for the official state seal and a new design for the official state flag. The designs must accurately and respectfully reflect Minnesota's shared history, resources, and diverse cultural communities. Symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design. The Commission may solicit and secure the voluntary service and aid of vexillologists and other persons who have either technical or artistic skill in flag construction and design, or the design of official seals, to assist in the work. The Commission must also solicit public feedback and suggestions to inform its work. The Commission shall certify its adopted designs in a report to the legislature and governor no later than January 1, 2024. The Commission's report must describe the symbols and other meanings incorporated in the design.
Minnesota Historical Society is providing administrative support to the State Emblems Redesign Commission (SERC).
Full text of enabling legislation: Laws of Minnesota, 2023, Chapter 62, Article 2, Section 118. Revisor of Statutes Link
Meetings & Recordings
The State Emblems Redesign Commission meets Tuesdays, from 9:00am to 10:30am
Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 9:00am to 10:30am AGENDA
Location: Virtual Meeting [Zoom link]
SERC: Oct. 3 Mtg.
Documents shared in meeting:
Tuesday, September 26, 2023, 9:00am to 10:30am AGENDA
Location: Virtual Meeting [Meeting Notes]
SERC: Sept. 26 Mtg. Meeting Recording (YouTube)
Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 3:00pm to 4:30pm. AGENDA
Location: Virtual Meeting [Meeting Notes]
SERC: Sept. 20 Mtg. Meeting Recording (YouTube)
Documents shared in meeting:
Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 12:00pm to 1:30pm. AGENDA
Location: Virtual Meeting [Meeting Notes]
SERC: Sept. 12 Mtg. Meeting Recording (YouTube)
Documents shared in meeting:
Tuesday, September 5, 2023, 10:30am to 12:00pm. AGENDA
Location: Virtual Meeting [Meeting Notes]
SERC kick-off meeting. Meeting recording (YouTube)
Commission Members
VOTING MEMBERS (NAME, APPOINTING AUTHORITY)
- Dr. Kate Beane, Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB)
- Shelley Buck, Governor - General Member of the Public
- Luis Fitch, Council on Latino Affairs
- Anita Gaul, Governor - General Member of the Public
- Michael Harralson, Governor - General Member of the Public
- Kim Jackson, Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans
- Robert 'Deuce' Larsen, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) - Dakota Community
- Denise Mazone, Council on Minnesotans of African Heritage
- Lauren Bennett McGinty, Explore Minnesota Tourism
- Philip McKenzie, Minnesota State Arts Board
- Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State
- Kent Whitworth, Minnesota Historical Society
- Aaron Wittnebel, Minnesota Indian Affairs Council (MIAC) - Ojibwe Community
NON-VOTING MEMBERS (NAME, APPOINTING AUTHORITY)
- Senator Steve Drazkowski, Minnesota Senate - Member of the Minority
- Rep. Mike Freiberg, Minnesota House of Representatives - Member of the Majority
- Senator Mary Kunesh, Minnesota Senate - Member of the Majority
- Rep. Bjorn Olson, Minnesota House of Representatives - Member of the Minority
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT
- Lindsey Dyer, Minnesota Historical Society
- David Kelliher, Minnesota Historical Society
Background Resources
Current State Flag, Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State
Current State Seal, Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State
William Convery, “Minnesota State Seal”, MNOpedia, September 20, 2023.
The Great Seal of Minnesota was created by men who tied their fortunes to the progress (as they defined it) and settlement of the state, often at the expense of Native Americans. Since the late 1960s, critics of the seal have argued that its imagery reflects an anti-Native American bias. Recent calls to change the seal’s design have sparked new conversations about the symbols that best represent...
William Convery, “Minnesota State Flag”, MNOpedia, August 2, 2023.
What good is a state flag? According to flag expert Lee Herold of Rochester, Minnesota, a good flag creates a distinctive brand. Ideally, Minnesota’s flag should also create unity, representing our state’s values everywhere it flies. But this has not always been the case. The people of Minnesota have altered their state flag’s design in the past to meet changing needs. They are continuing to do so today…
Mitch Smith and Sarah Almukhtar, “How States Are Threading the Needle on Flag Design”, New York Times, August 17, 2023.
For more than a century, Utah’s flag has paid homage to the state’s founding settlers: the sego lilies they subsisted on when food was scarce, a beehive symbolizing their communal spirit. From a distance, though, it looks a lot like several other state flags that also feature a seal on a blue background…