Syd Carpenter

Syd Carpenter
Born1953 (age 70–71)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
EducationTyler School of Art and Architecture
Occupation(s)Visual artist, educator
Known forCeramics, sculpture
AwardsPew Fellowship in the Arts
Anonymous Was A Woman Award
Websitesyd-carpenter.swarthmore.edu

Syd Carpenter (born 1953) is an African American artist and a retired professor of studio art. She is known for her ceramic and sculpture work, which explores African-American farming and gardening.[1][2][3] She has received multiple fellowships, including a Pew Fellowship and an NEA Fellowship, and her work is currently in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection and the Philadelphia Museum of Art's collection.[4][5]

Early life and education

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Carpenter was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1953.[4] She earned her Bachelors of Fine Art in 1974 and Master of Fine Art in 1976 from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture.[1][6][7]

Career

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External videos
video icon “Ceramic artist Syd Carpenter”, PBS. 11/01/22.

In 1991, Carpenter began teaching at Swarthmore College as a Professor of Studio Art, where she would teach until her retirement in the fall of 2022, resulting in the college no longer offering ceramic classes.[8][7] At Swarthmore, she was appointed to the Endowed Peggy Chan Professorship of Black Studies in January 2021.[7][9] In 1992, she was awarded the Pew Fellowship in the Arts.[10]

In 2014, Carpenter's exhibit "“Syd Carpenter: More Places of Our Own" was one of the two exhibits that the African American Museum in Philadelphia received a $50,000 award from the Knight Foundation to enhance.[11][12] In 2021, Carpenter and artist Steve Donegan, designed and constructed "hugel mounds" at Woodmere Museum as environmental art pieces.[13] From January–May 2022, her exhibit Earth Offerings: Honoring the Gardeners, inspired by the legacy of Black farmers, was displayed in the Rowan University Art Gallery.[14][15][16][17][18] In May 2022, her piece, Mary Lou Furcron, was included in the Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibit, “This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World."[19] In November 2022, Carpenter was named one of Anonymous Was a Woman (AWAW) 2022 award recipients, receiving $25,000.[20] On December 16, 2022, Carptenter appeared in the award-winning documentary series, Craft in America episode "Home,” alongside artists Biskakone Greg Johnson, Wharton Esherick, and Sim Van der Ryn.[2]

Collections

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Carpenter's work is held in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum,[4] the Metropolitan Museum of Art,[21] and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among other institutions.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Syd Carpenter - Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art". 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  2. ^ a b "CRAFT IN AMERICA: Home". KPBS Public Media. 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  3. ^ "United States Artists » Syd Carpenter". Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  4. ^ a b c "Syd Carpenter | Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  5. ^ a b "A Snake without a Head Is Just a Rope". philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  6. ^ "Four Elements - PMA LibGuides at Philadelphia Museum of Art". philamuseum.libguides.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  7. ^ a b c "Sydney Carpenter". www.alumni.temple.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  8. ^ Weiser, Aviva (2022-12-01). "Art Department Pivots Towards 3D Design After Retirement of Ceramics Professor - The Phoenix". Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  9. ^ "Three Women Scholars Appointed to Endowed Positions at Colleges and Universities". Women In Academia Report. 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  10. ^ "Full List of Pew Fellows". The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. 2016-12-06. Archived from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  11. ^ "NEA Archives". Smithsonian Affiliations. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  12. ^ "Syd Carpenter's More Places of Our Own at the African American Museum in Philadelphia". Artblog. 2014-05-16. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  13. ^ "What is a hugel… and is it art?". WHYY. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  14. ^ Kirsh, Andrea (2022-03-15). "Syd Carpenter's Ode to Women and Black-owned family farms". Artblog. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  15. ^ "Earth Offerings: Honoring the Gardeners". sites.rowan.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  16. ^ Rosenberg, Amy S. (1 February 2022). "A road trip to Black farms in the South inspired Philly sculptor Syd Carpenter's solo exhibit at Rowan University". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  17. ^ "Artist Syd Carpenter Identifies and Honors African American Farmers and Gardeners at Rowan U. Art Gallery". NewJerseyStage.com. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  18. ^ Valcourt, Chelsea (2022-02-09). "Syd Carpenter Explains Her Art Gallery Exhibit, "Earth Offerings: Honoring the Gardeners"". The Whit Online. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  19. ^ ""This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World" Examines the State of Contemporary Craft in America Today | Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  20. ^ "Anonymous Was a Woman Announces $375,000 in Grants". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  21. ^ "Deep Roots, Syd Carpenter, 1991". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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