American Monuments I

Carrie Mae Weems

born 1953

American Monuments I, 2015–2016

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: inkjet print

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 76.2 x 76.2 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 30 x 30 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 114.3 x 88.9 cm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 45 x 35 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 46 3/8 x 36 3/8 x 2 1/2 in
Weight (Weight): 35 lbs

Credit line: Museum purchase: Helen Foresman Spencer Art Acquisition Fund

Accession number: 2021.0003

On display: Simons Gallery

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Images

Label texts

Bold Women

In this work, Carrie Mae Weems contrasts her black shrouded form with the white classical Jefferson Memorial. The image reminds us of the histories of colonialism and slavery, in which Founding Father Thomas Jefferson is implicated, and the exclusion of women and people of color from such spaces of power. The questioning stance that Weems takes connects to national discussions of contested history, Civil War monuments, and the goal of more equitable futures.

Brosseau Center for Learning: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Access

The two prominent figures of Carrie Mae Weems and Thomas Jefferson mirror each other in this dramatic standoff surrounded by columns. Weems’s stance reclaims access to her history stolen by a man hailed as a founding father. Her work effortlessly captures moments defining the Black experience in America. As an observer of this moment, what is accessible from your viewpoint? Which side of history are you on?