Syd Carpenter’s ceramic sculptures raise issues about race, life, memory, magic and the human condition. Her work can be viewed in museums across the nation and her recent bodies of work have focused on generational, African-American owned farms in the South. We are honored to to visit with Carpenter as she speaks about her work through images and discussion of her process. Host Fabio J. Fernández will guide the discussion through a range of topics including access, mentorship, and community as part of The Artist’s Studio series.

Learn about all eight artist events in The Artist’s Studio series.

Registration and general info:

This event will be held live on Zoom and attendees will be able to ask questions, time permitting. Each event will be recorded, and registered participants will have access to the recording for 30 days.

There are two ways to register for events in The Artist’s Studio series: You can register for individual artist events or subscribe to the entire series at a discount with the Series Pass. The Series Pass includes exclusive access to a Google Classroom with all eight event recordings, handouts and resource materials, good through June 8^th.

Individual Artist Event Fees: $50 general admission. Free to Harvard Undergraduate Students

Register for this event

Limited scholarships are available. To be considered for a scholarship, fill out an application form. Questions? Contact Director Kathy King at kking@fas.harvard.edu.

Artist Biography

In her  Philadelphia studio Syd Carpenter produces ceramic sculptures included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institute, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Academy of Fine Arts, Tang Museum of Skidmore College, Frederick R. Weisman collection, Fuller Craft Museum, Michener Museum,  Art in General, NY. Solo exhibitions include the Michener Museum, Fine Arts Gallery of Rowan University, African American Museum of Philadelphia, National Conference on Education in the Ceramic Arts, Center for Established/Emerging Artists, Noba Gallery, Sande Webster Gallery, and Delaware Center for Contemporary Art. Group shows include the Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA, Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, “Represent” Philadelphia Museum of Art, “Garden As Muse”, Walton Art Center.  She is currently working on an outdoor installation at the Woodmere Museum in Philadelphia. Guest artist residencies and workshops include the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School of Crafts, Watershed School of Crafts, Art Institute of Chicago, Maryland Institute  of Contemporary Art, Anderson Ranch, Pratt Institute and Harvard University Department of Art, Film and Visual Studies. She is currently Professor of Studio Art at Swarthmore College. Her awards include a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, multiple Leeway Foundation Fellowships, National Endowment for the Arts and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grants. In 2020 she was awarded the inaugural endowed Peggy Chan Professorship in Black Studies at Swarthmore College.