Stevens Jay Carter

Is Fulfilling His Destiny

A destiny presaged at the tender age of two: when using the cardboard inserts from his father's freshly pressed shirts, Carter took to drawing. 

Carter's history is packed with scholarships, degrees, residencies and fellowships.  The Plainfield, NJ native graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1980 with a B.A. in Fine Arts.  After receiving a grant for a project in which he designed and oversaw the creation of collaborative murals with inmates in six Pennsylvania prisons, he became an adjunct art professor at Carnegie Mellon University. 

As a result of these and other community-based activities, Carter was invited to join the faculty at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.  He also spent time as a visiting art resident at Slippery Rock University.  These honors culminated with a fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution focusing on art education.  

Despite his recognition in the academic community, a single viewing of his portfolio quickly reveals that Carter's rewards are his art.

One example of Carter's larger works is a backdrop for the Dance Institute of Washington's performance at the American Museum of Natural History.   The backdrop quickly became the property of the Anacostia Museum, Smithsonian Institute.  Carter also has several murals in New York and the tri-state area.  

His new serigraphs, "Amerressence IV" and "Amerressence XX",  are recognized as contemporary classics and reflect the global spirit of the U.S.  In his own words, "I am interested in creating a world where all of our energies are handled in a positive and harmonious manner."

Last year Carter celebrated his 10-year anniversary with the Carlton Arms Hotel in New York City.  Carter is one of many artists from around the world to decorate individual rooms in this legendary hotel.  "There seems to be so much to do," says Carter. 

According to Carter, he limits himself to one medium - everything, as evidenced by his current work that is being created out of sawdust.  No stranger to traditional media, he also works with oil, acrylic, ceramic tile, charcoal and pencil.  He has been a sculptor, a performing artist, a book illustrator and a film producer.  For the next decade, Carter sees himself concentrating on sculpture and mosaics.

Carter is published by Vivart Publishers.