Beginning this semester, internationally known artist Carrie Mae Weems will begin a year-long residency in VPA, the first of its kind for the college. The residency, "Social Studies 101, Syracuse: A Community Dialogue," will explore the relationship between art and community with special focus on the role that artists play in contemporary society, particularly as they identify and respond to societal needs and build community relationships.

The goal of the residency is to allow Weems and students to immerse themselves in the Syracuse community and create work in response to societal needs. In direct connection with Chancellor Nancy Cantor's inaugural year conversation, Weems' ultimate goal is the creation of a significant and long-lasting approach to building a useful model of interaction between the University and the community.

The residency has been organized in several stages that officially kick off with a public presentation April 7 to introduce Weems to the local and campus communities. She will discuss her work and recent projects underscoring the role of the artist as civic agent as well as the goals of her residency. During the Spring semester, Weems will visit selected classes to converse with students and faculty and introduce herself to the campus. Faculty interested in Weems visiting a class should contact Tom Piche at 442-0170 (Mon., Wed., or Fri.).

In the spring Weems will also host two conversations--Brown Bag Lunches--both on and off campus, in which she plans to ask tough questions, addressing issues of perception, misperception, attitudes and commonly held beliefs. The first Brown Bag in April will address the University's role in the community; perceptions held on campus, how local and national media and popular culture influence those perceptions and the social and economic issues impinging on SU's sustained involvement with the south side. The second gathering in May will reverse the flow of attention from the University to the community, considering one of Syracuse's more disenfranchised communities, its south side. The conversation will bring together the University community and south side residents to question how the area views itself and how its residents view their relationship to greater Syracuse and SU.

Weems' other activities during her residency include creating new artwork, working with local community groups such as the Southwest Community Center, and teaching a fall course in VPA exploring art and civic dialogue. The seminar, open to interested students from across the University, will focus on artists, community and memory. The classroom will become the community for students enrolled in the course, as each will hold a residency in a local community center.

Weems will be involved in several exhibitions and a conference during her residency. In the spring at the Everson Museum of Art, she will exhibit photographs and video portraits produced from interviews with local activists in conjunction with the Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility. She will also curate a group of photographs made by children associated with both the Southwest Community Center and Contact Community Services. In the fall she will exhibit new work and past projects at the Joe and Emily Lowe Art Gallery and will be a featured speaker at the University-wide celebration "Contested Public Memories," sponsored by the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies.

"This residency will help our students truly understand what it means to be a citizen of a community and what a critical difference an artist's perspective can make to that community," says Dean Carole Brzozowski. "Carrie Mae Weems is an internationally renowned artist who also happens to live and work in Syracuse. I can think of no better person to lead our college in this exciting exploration."

Weems, a Syracuse-based artist, has worked for the past 25 years toward developing a complex body of art that employs photographs, text, fabric, audio, digital images, installation and most recently, video. A socially engaged artist, Weems investigates family relationships, gender roles, the history of racism, sexism and class and political systems.

"Artists in action can make a difference and change the nature of our interactions based on shared understanding and knowledge," says Weems. "Done right, this project will strengthen all participants. The University needs the community and the community needs the University, even though our interests are not always the same. This is the first stage of coming together."