The renowned photographer Carrie Mae Weems completed a residency at CSUMB in 2008 joining the African American Legacy Project in a special series of photography workshops focused on civil rights moments in history.

The residency included the development of a large-scale photography project, public lecture and community reception. Ms. Weems was able to work with over 30 students from across the campus in a series of studio photography sessions based on critical moment in civil rights history.

Ms. Weems had students doing research and developing poses for her large format photos. The weeklong undertaking was shot in the Teledramatic Arts and Technology studio with collaboration from VPA faculty. The resulting series Constructing History: Requiem for a Moment was shown in 2009 at the Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco, California and in 2008 at ACA Gallery of Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta, Georgia

Carrie Mae Weems (born 1953) is an award winning photographer and artist. Her photographs, films, and videos have been displayed in over 50 exhibitions in the United States and abroad and focus on serious issues that face African Americans today, such as racism, gender relations, politics, and personal identity. She has said, "Let me say that my primary concern in art, as in politics, is with the status and place of Afro-Americans in our country."[1]