Weems earned a BFA from the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia in 1981 and a MFA from the University of California, San Diego, in 1984. From 1984 to 1987 she pursued graduate studies in folklore at the University of California, Berkeley. Weems is well known for integrating photographs, text and audio recordings in installations that explore themes of racism, gender, identity and family from a personal as well as cultural, national and historical perspective. Her photographs and installations both seduce viewers and challenge them to react against social injustices and oppression. Optimistic about the role of art as a catalyst for social change, Weems’s works prompts viewers to question their understanding and acceptance of their personal as well as collective histories.
Weems cited the book The Sweet Flypaper of Life (1955), with photographs by ROY DECARAVA and poetry by Langston Hughes, as one of her inspirations for interweaving words and images. She also discussed the importance of the writings of Zora Neale Hurston, as well as music, including jazz and the blues. In The Kitchen Table Series (1990), 20 images—each centered on a kitchen table where Weems is the protagonist among a cast of characters including the viewer, who sits at the far end—are interspersed with 13 text panels and audio recordings of conversations, anecdotes, slang and blues lyrics. The narrative reveals the complexity of life not only for African American families, but also for families in all communities.
(SOURCE: Oxford Art Online, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T2022226)
