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Conversations: Carrie Mae Weems and The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial

Past Exhibition

March 17, 2021 – January 22, 2023
West Building, Main Floor - Gallery 66


Be among the first to see our new acquisition, on display in conversation with a moving work of American sculpture.       

Come and experience how Carrie Mae Weems responds to The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, created a century earlier to honor one of the first Civil War regiments of African Americans formed in the North.

In her untitled series of photographs, Weems uses images of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s memorial to commemorate the Great Migration of African Americans streaming north from the Jim Crow South after the Civil War. Layering text and pictures, Weems centers African American experiences that speak of racial pride and resilience, sacrifice and determination.

Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled, 1996, printed 2020, 7 inkjet prints with sandblasted text on glass in wood frames, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2020.96.1.1-7

Story

The Tangled Web of History

Carrie Mae Weems and The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial

Carrie Mae Weems's series of seven photographs reframes a Civil War memorial to create a complex and compelling narrative about African American history.

Highlight

Say Their Names

Researchers at the National Gallery of Art identified the names of the more than 1,500 soldiers and officers who served with the 54th Massachusetts Regiment between March 1863 and April 1865. See the full roster of names and additional information about individual soldiers.

Feature

Black Artists in the Collection

Explore art and artists in our collection, along with exhibitions, events, and resources for educators.

Organization
Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Passes
Admission is always free and passes are not required.

Banner detail: Augustus Saint-Gaudens, The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial, 1900, patinated plaster, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, New Hampshire, X.15233; Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled (1 photograph of 7-part series), 1996, printed 2020, 7 inkjet prints with sandblasted text on glass in wood frames, Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2020.96.1.1–7