The Brotherhood Sister Sol has worked with Carrie Mae Weems since 2017. Weems is considered one of the most influential contemporary American artists, investigating family relationships, cultural identity, sexism, class, political systems, and the consequences of power. BroSis honored Weems at our Voices gala in 2017, she was our inaugural Artist in Residence in 2020 (along with Bill T. Jones), and she worked with our alum, The Peace Poets, on a national PSA campaign about the intersection of COVID and inequality. Weems has donated art work that hangs in our new building and inspires our young people each day and participated in public conversations with Khary Lazarre-White, our Executive Director, about the intersection of art and activism. She has donated two works of art to our new building: “A Class Ponders the Future” and “Remember to Dream.” These works inspire our young people each and every day.
In January of 2024 – Carrie Mae Weems visited BroSis and engaged in this conversation with Khary – watch video here.
This past summer, four members of BroSis – Arlene Perez, 14, Satnam Chaudhary, 18, Smeilyn Salcedo, 14, and Yaniel Garcia, 16 – were selected to participate in a photography project sponsored by Carrie Mae Weems along with our media arts instructor Frank Antonio López. They met for four weeks, discussing the works of Weems, Roy DeCarava and other prominent visual artists, to create a body of work that reflected their everyday life & community. The project entitled, “Mapping Harlem”, showcases images of family, friends, community members and spaces that our members value, found interest in and were curious about. BroSis aims to provide opportunities for our members to expand their artistic vision while building relationships & connections to the legacy of artists in our community. Their photos are below.
In 2019, Carrie Mae Weems and Khary had a fascinating discussion on the intersection of art and activism and how such efforts can engender and empower social change across communities, which was hosted by NeueHouse. Listen to their conversation here.
