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Carrie Mae Weems

Commemoration Plate

Maker

Carrie Mae Weems (American, b. 1953)
Lenox, Inc. (American, fl. 1889-present), manufacturer

Title

Commemoration Plate

Year

1992

Medium

  • Porcelain with transfer-print,
  • glaze,
  • and gilding

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Porcelain with transfer-print,
  • glaze,
  • and gilding

Dimensions

Diameter: 27.3 cm (10 3/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Barnet Fain

Object Number

2001.80.30

Type

  • Ceramics

Exhibition History

Past Made Present
Dutch Shadows in the Black Atlantic
Sep 03, 2022 – Aug 06, 2023

Label copy

Commemoration plates (like the historical examples at right and left) typically celebrate or satirize the achievements of the powerful and wealthy. In her Commemorating series of ceramic plates, Carrie Mae Weems spotlights the unsung cultural contributions of Black Americans. This example highlights the impact of African American music and foodways on American culture.

Everyday Things
Contemporary Works from the Collection
Apr 13, 2012 – Feb 24, 2013

Label copy

Decorative plates such as Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Plate, the Official Royal Wedding Commemorative Plate for Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and inauguration plates for U.S. Presidents traditionally commemorate the rites and rituals of rich and powerful people. Carrie Mae Weems’s twenty-plate series Commemorating was produced by the artist with the American china manufacturer Lenox, which is known for its White House commissions and customized tableware for U.S. Embassies and governors’ mansions. The series uses the classic design of a round, gold-ringed, bone-white dinner plate, but celebrates rather than royalty the achievements of famous, average, familiar, and forgotten people and moments in African-American history. This one reads: “Commemorating Blues, Jazz, Collard Greens & Thelonius Monk,” while subjects of other plates in the series range from Harriet Tubman to the ghettos of Harlem, Watts, and Detroit to “Every Black Man Who Lives to See Twenty-One.”

Image use

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In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Carrie Mae Weems (American, b. 1953)
Lenox, Inc. (American, fl. 1889-present), manufacturer
Commemoration Plate, 1992
Porcelain with transfer-print, glaze, and gilding
Diameter: 27.3 cm (10 3/4 inches)
Gift from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Barnet Fain 2001.80.30

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Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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