Carrie Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video (Frist Center for the Visual Arts) - Tapa dura

Notable African-American Interest Book of 2012-13, Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly "I have three words for Carrie Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video: Wow. And wow. This stunning visual chronicle is packed with more than 200 of the Oregonian's arresting images."-Patrik Henry Bass, Essence -- Patrik Henry Bass Essence Honorable Mention in the Photography/Art category at the 2012 New England Book Festival. -- Photography/Art Honorable Mention New England Book Festival Honorable Mention, Photography/Art category at the 2013 San Francisco Book Festival sponsored by the JM Northern Media LLC -- San Francisco Book Festival JM Northern Media LLC Honorable Mention, Photography/Art category at the 2013 New York Book Festival sponsored by JM Northern Media LLC -- New York Book Festival JM Northern Media LLC

The work of contemporary artist Carrie Mae Weems (b. 1953) hits hard with a powerful mix of lived life and social commentary. Since the late 1970s, her photographs, films, and installations have become known for presenting realistic and authentic images of African Americans while confronting themes of race, gender, and class. This book, the first major survey of Weems's career, traces the artist's commitment to addressing issues of social justice through her artwork. Her early photographs, which focused on African American women and families, have since led to work that examines more general aspects of the African diaspora, from the legacy of slavery to the perpetuation of debilitating stereotypes. Increasingly, she has broadened her view to include global struggles for equality and justice. This beautifully illustrated book highlights over 200 of Weems's most important works. Accompanying essays by leading scholars explore Weems's interest in folklore, her focus on the spoken and written word, the performative aspect of her constructed tableaux, and her expressions of black beauty.