Lorraine O’Grady, Resident Artist Lecture 1999

Characterizing herself as Caribbean/African American/Yankee, Lorraine O’Grady talks about her work, which is variously political and personal. She describes her performances of photography-based diptychs as being closer to criticism than art. Particular focus is given to two recent works which are representative of her interest in Black women’s issues: one involving her female relatives and the other exploring (or inventing) the character of Jeanne LeVal, the Black common law wife of Charles Baudelaire.