Christopher Carter

Christopher Carter is a California based artist working in found-object art. Here he discusses his recent 2008 exhibition Bound. View images from his show, and explore his commentary on his work.

Born in New Mexico and raised in Boston, as a 15-year-old student at the renowned Interlochen Arts Academy, Carter began to imagine a career as an artist. He went on to pursue a BFA from MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) with a specialization in printmaking, multimedia animation, and bronze casting and foundry in Cortona, Italy. His interest in sculpture intensified during graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley, where he received his MFA in 1995. 

In 2002, Carter spent a summer in New Zealand studying the art of the Maori people. His own multiethnic background had earlier drawn him to African-American and Native American wood carving traditions. A series of monumental carved columns incised with abstract animistic imagery in low relief were the result of this exploration. The work titled “Totemic Columns” was recently purchased for the reopening of the 60Mil+ Grand Rapids Arts Museum in Michigan for permanent display in their ground floor atrium. The GRAM is the first LEED certified Museum in the world and Carter’s extensive use of salvaged materials, including reclaimed woods and found objects made a perfect relationship. 

(Content provided by Christopher Carter 2008)