Carrie Mae Weems - Honorees - The Gordon Parks Foundation

During the past twenty-five years, Carrie Mae Weems has developed a complex body of art that employs photographs, text, fabric, audio, digital images, installation, and video. Her work has led her to investigate family relationships, gender roles, the histories of racism, sexism, class, and various political systems. She views her responsibility as an artist to make art that is beautiful and powerful; that shouts bravely from the roof-tops and storms barricaded doors; a voice specific to our historic moment. Weems has received numerous awards, grants, and fellowships including the prestigious Prix de Roma, The National Endowment of the Arts, The Alpert, The Anonymous was a Woman, and The Tiffany Awards. In 2012, she was presented with one of the first US Department of State’s Medals of Arts in recognition for her commitment to the State Department’s art in Embassies program. That same year, she also received an honorary degree from Bowdoin College; to date Weems has four honorary degrees.

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"Gordon's work opened my mind to the possibilities of being an artist."