Meet MacArthur Award winner Carrie Mae Weems

The photographer is now officially a genius, but her socially charged work has insightfully questioned and interpreted American life for nearly three decades

"Mourning"
(Image credit: (Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York))
Lauren Hansen
By
last updated

On Wednesday, the MacArthur Foundation awarded 24 extraordinary people — from economists to jazz musicians — with illustrious genius grants. One of those recipients is photographer and video installation artist Carrie Mae Weems, who, over nearly three decades, has used art to question and interpret America's ongoing struggles with race equality, human rights, and social inclusion. Weems frames her work this way:

"My work has led me to investigate family relationships, gender roles, the histories of racism, sexism, class, and various political systems. Despite the variety of my explorations, throughout it all it has been my contention that my responsibility as an artist is to work, to sing for my supper, to make art, beautiful and powerful, that adds and reveals; to beautify the mess of a messy world, to heal the sick and feed the helpless; to shout bravely from the roof-tops and storm barricaded doors and voice the specifics of our historic moment." (Carrie Mae Weems)

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Lauren Hansen
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.

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