Santa Rosa artist creates exhibit honoring U.S. citizenship

For four years, Santa Rosa artist and retired high school teacher Monica Bryant has been volunteering her time helping immigrants study for their U.S. citizenship test.

She helps them learn both English and the answers to historical and civics questions many natural born citizens probably can’t answer.

Their excitement, their devotion and their determination are part of what makes America a great country, she said.

“We all need to be good citizens. We need to work for our democracy and we need to care for fellow citizens,” Bryant said, standing in her small studio in southwest Santa Rosa.

On Wednesday, Bryant laid gold leafing on a thick border trim that will accompany a large art exhibit planned for the Santa Rosa City Council chambers. The exhibit, which will be on display through the month of August, features 12 painted panels, each 4 feet by 5 feet, that display the answers to the 100 citizenship questions.

The questions include naming the two longest rivers in the United States; who is next in line for the presidency after the vice president; the name of a U.S. territory; the meaning of freedom of religion.

Each question is accompanied by an illustration of some historic moment or aspect of American government, such as the swearing in of President Barack Obama.

Bryant was the chairwoman of the arts department at Ursuline High School for nearly a decade before the all-girls Catholic school closed in 2011. She received her master’s degree in fine arts from UC Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii.

She was the lead artist that created the mural on the side of the The Press Democrat building in downtown Santa Rosa, which features the 50 local leaders who helped shape local Sonoma County history in the 20th century.

Bryant, whose own immigrant roots go back many generations and include Irish, English, Bohemian, German and Swedish stock, was very much affected by her mother’s own patriotism. Growing up, her name was Pat Potucek, and she loved all things red, white and blue. “On the July 4, everyone called her ‘Pat-triotic,’ Bryant said.

But patriotism is not blind, she said. For the 65-year-old artist, patriotism is a family affair.

“It means loving your family, your home, your country,” she said. “It doesn’t mean blind patriotism. It doesn’t mean you don’t recognize the mistakes we’ve made with slavery or the Trail of Tears.”

Bryant said she is saddened by the intense partisanship that has crippled the American family, which has some questioning the patriotism of others or claiming patriotism as their own.

She said she hopes her citizenship artwork will inspire others to be thankful for those who make it a dream to “join this country.”

The exhibit, called “Waving Stripes,” will be on display during an open house at her studio, July 30, noon to 7 p.m. and July 31, noon to 5 p.m., at the historic Naval Air Station barracks, 3840 Finley Ave., in Santa Rosa.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.