Artist Carrie Mae Weems with Writer Mark Anthony Neal

Artist Carrie Mae Weems and Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies at Duke, will discuss how art can function as a public awareness campaign during a pandemic. Carrie Mae Weems created the outdoor exhibition RESIST COVID / TAKE 6! to counter misperceptions about the COVID-19 virus, celebrate front line workers and raise issues of public health and racial inequities.

At Duke and around Durham, RESIST COVID / TAKE 6! is comprised of large-scale banners and window clings, posters, lawn signs, reusable bags and more, emblazoned with messaging that combats misinformation about the virus and emphasizes the disproportionate impact it has had on the lives of communities of color. The Nasher Museum is collaborating with Duke Arts and Duke Health to present the exhibition on Duke’s campus and in the surrounding community.

Watch this talk on Zoom. Meeting ID: 952 4600 3120

This conversation will be recorded and aired later this spring on Left of Black, a weekly video podcast hosted by Mark Anthony Neal and produced by the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke.