Carrie Mae Weems, internationally renowned photographer and social critic, tackles difficult questions about race, gender and identity in her work. "…it is Weems's conviction that radicalism and beauty are complementary, not antithetical, that gives her work its distinctive edge," wrote Ernest Larson, Art In America (May 1999). A description of her new video "Meaning and Landscape," is "Class, race and desire are deeply masked in the culture of Louisiana - the land of carnival - but life in its infinite intrigue is played behind the veil."

Weems' video will be displayed in the window of the Downtown Arts Center as part of the Lexington Arts and Cultural Council's Windows Project, and five photographs will be shown at the Ann Tower Gallery.

Weems will deliver the University of Kentucky Art Museum's Robert C. May Lecture at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 25. Her lecture will be followed by a reception at the Ann Tower Gallery. Her lecture and visit to Lexington are in conjunction with the Kentucky Women Writers Conference, and are sponsored by the Nell Stuart Donovan Exhibit Series, and the Donovan Trust.

Weems' photographs, installations, and videos have been featured in museums and galleries around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of Art, N.Y. and J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.