3. Carrie Mae Weems, Hush of Our Silence

3. Carrie Mae Weems, Hush of Our Silence

2003, c-print, 23.625 x 19.75
[courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York]

Carrie Mae Weems is known for photographs that examine the challenges facing African Americans, and for her explorations of racial equality, human rights, and social inclusion in the . Depicting what looks like an isolated gramophone speaker, Hush of Our Silence evokes the whispered and often tension-filled dialogues, and subsequent silences, that may occur in a domestic setting. This household object, usually associated with music, appears quiet, suggesting a shift in wis and is not being heard or said—and a parallel between what is unsaid at home and what goes unspoken of in public life.

—Cornelia Stokes