Carrie Mae Weems

Carrie Mae Weems' speech Thursday night was very entertaining and a little odd in comparison to the usual sort of lecture we find from an artist. Weem's work showed a wide span of ideas and political interests which mainly seemed connected through the bodily means by which she approached the pieces.

Her pieces have both a designed produced feel to them while very strongly conveying personal messages to the viewer (often affecting the viewer's awareness of their own viewership). Her pieces often use text in a way that projects ideas on to the viewer as opposed to the more commonly expected relationship in which the viewer projects their personal associations onto the art object.

Her pacing was very interesting. She seemed to have a somewhat slow and deliberate way of talking things about work which was still filled with energy. It gave the lecture an interestingly casual feel. It seemed as if she were talking more to a room full of peers than lecturing to students. It was a very nice change up. She also avoided over-explanation of her ideas in a way that seemed more trusting of the audience's understanding than oversimplification.

I was a little dissappointed that the lecture's Q&A section was so short. I feel it would have been interesting to hear her talk about her work a little more