The Great Waters Association of Vexillology (GWAV, pronounced gwave) is an organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific study of flags. GWAV has a particular focus on flags of the Midwestern United States.
The group was established May 11, 1991, in Kettering, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. Initially, the members met with the intent to establish a local chapter of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA). When NAVA decided to not have chapters, the group set out to be independent.
The organization's flag was designed in 1991 and was modified with the addition of Illinois. It currently depicts five inverted chevrons or “V”s on a blue background. The chevrons (which resemble the letter V) represent vexillology, and alternate in color from white to red indicate each of the states covered by the group.
The group met semi-annually, normally in May and November, and from 1990 through 2012, published Flagwaver, a Journal of Vexillology (ISSN 2327-2368) each June and December. The journal featured articles about flags used within the five states comprising the organization. Among those highlighted were the flags of Springfield, and Chicago in Illinois; Detroit and Grand Rapids in Michigan; Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky.
In May 1999, the membership established the Commodore Award and the Flying Colors Award. The Commodore Award is given for significant individual contribution to the field of vexillology, especially in the GWAV states, and the Flying Colors Award is presented to a flag designer and adopting entity for excellence in flag design. Through 2012, the Commodore Award has been presented twice and the Flying Colors Award once.
On June 15, 2012, one of the charter members, Dr. John M. Purcell, died at the age of 79.[2][3] Following this, interest in maintaining the group waned as membership had dropped to only four members and they decided to suspend operations on April 4, 2013.
Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.
The flags of the U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Modern U.S. state flags date from the turn of the 20th century, when states considered distinctive symbols for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Most U.S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I.
Flags of the World is an Internet-based vexillological association and resource. Its principal project is the Internet's largest website devoted to vexillology, containing comprehensive information about various flags, and an associated mailing list. The mailing list began as a discussion group in about September 1993, while the website was founded by Giuseppe Bottasini in late 1994, and Rob Raeside took over as director in 1998. Flags of the World became the 56th member of the FIAV in 2001.
Whitney Smith Jr. was an American vexillologist. He coined the term vexillology, which refers to the scholarly analysis of all aspects of flags. He was a founder of several vexillology organizations. Smith was a Laureate and a Fellow of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations.
The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith (1940–2016), and others. Its membership of 1,000+ comprises flag scholars, enthusiasts, designers, collectors, conservators, educators, merchants, manufacturers, historians, and hobbyists.
The International Federation of Vexillological Associations is an international federation of 53 regional, national, and multinational associations and institutions across the globe that study vexillology, which FIAV defines in its constitution as "the creation and development of a body of knowledge about flags of all types, their forms and functions, and of scientific theories and principles based on that knowledge."
William George (Bill) Crampton was a British vexillologist. His chief legacy, the Flag Institute, has hundreds of members in the UK and overseas. He was recognised as Britain's foremost authority on flags by government agencies, the flag trade, the media, publishers, librarians and vexillologists of all ages and backgrounds. He served as a president of Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques, the International Federation of Vexillological Associations.
The flag of Birmingham was designed by Idyl King Sorsby for the occasion of the semicentennial of the city of Birmingham, Alabama in 1921. The flag was officially adopted as the city's flag on August 18, 1925.
The Genealogical Society of Ireland is a voluntary non-governmental organisation promoting the study of genealogy, heraldry, vexillology and social history in Ireland and amongst the Irish diaspora as open access educational leisure pursuits available to all.
Ottfried Neubecker was a German vexillologist and heraldist.
Alfred Znamierowski was a Polish vexillologist, heraldist, illustrator, and journalist. During his career he published several books and designed hundreds of coats of arms, flags, banners and seals for over 200 different municipalities and institutions.
The flag of Richmond, Virginia, was adopted in 1993. The flag contains a navy blue field in the upper two-thirds quadrant with two red and two white stripes beneath in the lower third of the flag. It features a silhouette of a person working a James River bateau down the James River.
The municipal flag of Provo, Utah, United States, features the city's logo on a light blue field. It was adopted on January 6, 2015, after a multi-year debate to replace the previous one. The former flag, adopted in 1989, was ridiculed in particular for its perceived ugliness and its similarity to the Centrum logo, and was voted one of the worst American city flags by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA).
The flag of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, consists of a zigzag pattern of thin white and blue lines, which divides an upper blue portion and a lower pinkish-red portion, and a yellow sun in the upper left corner. The zigzag represents the namesake falls of the Big Sioux River. The blue color and the sun allude to the flag of South Dakota. The pinkish-red portion represents the Sioux Quartzite nearby. The upward direction of the design represents the growth of Sioux Falls. The red, white and blue colors included in the flag are also a reference to the flag of the United States while maintaining city and state pride.
Fellow of the Federation is the fellowship given out by the International Federation of Vexillological Associations (FIAV).
The flag of Columbus is the official municipal flag of Columbus, Ohio. Its current design is a yellow, white, red vertical triband with the city seal on a blue field. Officially, the flag was adopted in 1929, although it is unknown if the flag was ever flown when it was first adopted.
The flag of Burlington, Vermont was adopted by the Burlington city council on November 27, 2017 during the mayorship of Miro Weinberger. It is five horizontal, zig-zag stripes of blue, white, green, white, and blue.
The Société française de vexillologie, or SFV, is a free, non-profit association of vexillology and heraldry enthusiasts of France. The centre aims principally at promoting the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags, and preserving related documents. It was founded in 1985 in Paris and is a FIAV member since 1991.
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