Carrie Mae Weems

Endia Beal

Another artist that speaks on the subject of the black experience and issues is Endia Beal. Beal is a North Carolina based artist, who is known for her photographic narratives and videos as Carrie Mae Weems does, that examine her personal and shared experiences specifically with fitting into the corporate setting as a black person.

Newspaper

Another imitation image of my aunt and Uncle, posing similarly to Carrie's photo. I left the color again in this image for the same reasons.

Colored People

Back to Carrie Mae Weems, She created a work titled "Colored People" where she took photos of mainly children and edited it with colorful tints. These images seemed to capture the children in their everyday scenes, looks like most of them were outside around the house playing most likely. I liked this idea of capturing people as they are, where they are, which you will see in a moment my recreations.

Intro

Carrie Mae Weems is a contemporary artist whose works speak to a large variety of issues and events, particularly surrounding the African American experience and struggles. She was born in Portland Oregon on April 20th, 1965 (65), and Studied at the California Institute of the Arts receiving her BFA, and later obtaining her MFA at the University of California. She has received numerous awards for her works, which explore family relationships, cultural identity, sexism, class, political systems, and power in America. She explained in an interview that all of her life she has been interested in this idea of power, and who gets to have it and who lacks it. She explained that she has always been so stuck on this idea because she felt that she hasn't had any power, like many African American people, especially women during the time period she grew up in.

Can I touch It?

Endia explores the struggle that black women have to create "reasonable" styles for our texture that are again "professional" enough for a corporate setting. The phrase "can I touch it?" Is one that many black woman can relate to because of this fascination with our hairstyles. Though It may seem harmless to ask this question, it creates this isolation and otherness as If we aren't regular people wearing our regular, natural hair. So, in this series, Endia photographed middle aged white women posed in traditional African American hair styles, which works to display this sense of looking "out of place" while at work. I also see these slight off putting facial expressions, specifically the woman in the middle, who I think may be trying to communicate a reaction like a black woman would have when asked if her hair could be touched. I can strongly relate to this series since I have been in this place many times where someone would either ask to touch my hair, or touch it without asking. This subject of black hair I could speak about all on its own, but to be short, as many of you may know, wearing our natural hair has been a struggle in so many areas. Confidence being one, with feeling comfortable wearing our hair as It grows. Pressure being another, not just by non-black people, but within our own community. It's hard to feel comfortable and confident when your mother or other relatives have been taught to alter their hairs natural state to be accepted and respected. And lastly, hair health is another struggle, which may seem small, but when you're covering and altering your hair to look "neat" or "professional", It will usually be causing damage to your hair, leading to less confidence and just frustration.

Am I What You're Looking For?

Her last series I want to touch on this subject is her Am I What You're Looking For? series. This set captures young black women and their attempt to transition from an academic setting to a corporate setting as they're dressed up and possed in front of an office backdrop. This work speaks to the struggles that black women have to try and look as "professional" as possible while at work, since there have been many instances across America where black people have been denied jobs, fired, and questioned about our appearance when in public settings. The framing in these I feel are so interesting in that she leaves these little bits of personal items slightly in the frame. Particularly this first image, where you can see graduation photos and trophies to the side, hinting at the idea of black success proving we are qualified and able to work, just as everyone else is.

African Jewels

Here is a later work by Carrie with a similar concept, but of the African people she encountered when she traveled to Africa.

Cards

Here is another kitchen table series photo, taken at a different angle that I ended up liking. I had my mom pose again with the solitaire card game laid out (incorrectly lol).

Makeup

Here's my first image in the style of Carrie Mae Weems "The Kitchen Table Series", where I had my mom dress up and pose like her makeup photo. I chose to keep the color though the series is in black and white, to both add my personal touch, and to allow these nice colors I heightened, to show through.

Head down

My final image in this series is imitating Carries photo with her head in her lap, a darker tone, though I feel carries a different tone in my image since I chose not to do black and white; and also due to the fact that these were taken during the day.

Color

Next are my images that were in the style of the "Colored People" series, as well as "African Jewels" series that we just saw. I loved these works by her and like I said, I appreciated her capturing people as they are. So, I took these two images on campus, there was a day party thing at the fountain and It was a great atmosphere to capture these in. The others were of people that I found on campus heading to wherever it was they were headed.

The Kitchen Table Series

The Kitchen Table series is one of Weems more known works, which display several variations in scenes that takes place at the kitchen table of homes. In this work she uses herself as the main subject, though in an interview she explains that her figure is meant to be more of a representation than an individual, so that we can all place ourselves in these scenes as many of us can relate to these many circumstances in some way. This series focuses on families, relationships, challenges and the struggles that come with it all. Its very powerful in that we can quickly get this sense of passing time, yet the array of events and emotions that a kitchen table will house. I love the many emotions she's able to reproduce; this visual she has created gives a look into these often private moments in life, that I feel her audience can relate to.

Family Pictures and Stories

This was the first body of work that Carrie created actually in response to senator Daniel Patrick Moyniham, who claimed that African American struggles are due to the matriarical nature of our families. In this series, Carrie documented her family in their everyday being, working to capture black families in the most realistic way she could to show this unseen part of her community. I feel as though these raw images she was able to capture combats that idea of black struggles coming from our often broken homes, but rather suggesting that maybe that isn't the main issue. I read these sets of images as a look into our families and the bliss and safety we do have within each other, no matter the circumstances. After listening to Weems when she came to visit here at UNCG, she obviously is aware of the issues in black communities and the main sources of our struggles; which for one, can be tracked through the upbringing of this country which was built on hate and discrimination towards black people. Because we received this unfair start at life here in America, the effects are the struggles we continue to experience today that are echoing from slavery. I feel that this series was a great way to show a few concepts here whether they were intended or not. I feel a sense of strength and unity in these images after all that we've gone through, and this idea of making the best out of life and current situations.