One of the nation’s most controversial artists has announced a surprising new work. It's a living tribute to W.E.B. Dubois. Carrie Mae Weems is a photographer who has reached back in history to honor millions of people who never got their due – women, people of color, and now the early civil rights activist W.E.B. Dubois.
On the 50th anniversary of his death, she began thinking about her favorite flower – and an unusual way to preserve the memory of Dubois.
“I’m going to contact a breeder, and I’m going to find a really beautiful white peony, and I’m going to name it after W.E. B. Dubois, and hundreds of thousands of gardeners can order it from white flower farm.”
Weems also plans to create a memorial garden for Dubois, anchored by the new peony which goes on the market this fall. She speaks tonight at the Look-3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville.
