Weems, Carrie Mae, 1953-

Dates:

Birth 1953-04-20

Nationality: Americans

Biographical notes:

Carrie Mae Weems (b. April 20, 1953, Portland, OR) is a photographer and artist who focuses on issues African Americans face today. At 16, Weems moved to San Francisco to study modern dance with Anna Halprin and later attended the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia and the University of California, San Diego. She was politically active in the labor movement as a union organizer.

Weems relocated to NYC to work at the Studio Museum in Harlem; she met others such as Coreen Simpson and Frank Stewart, and took classes from Dawoud Bey. In 1983, Weems completed her first collection of photographs, text, and spoken word, called Family Pictures and Stories.