Biographical Sketch

Stevens Jay Carter has been a working artist for nearly 20 years. He was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and received a B.A. in Studio Arts from the University of Pittsburgh.

Throughout his interesting career, Carter has always tried to be diverse and command several skills while maintaining a multitude of visions. “I look forward to the day when contemporary artists develop their skills to match their visions.”

Carter’s artistic credits include commissioned murals in such places as New York City, (the Pathfinder Publishing Co. and the Carlton Arms Hotel), the City of Altoona, Altoona, PA, the Williamsport Arts Council, Williamsport, PA, the Blue Mountain School District, Pottsville, PA, the PA State Correctional System, Harrisburg, PA, the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, Washington, DC, the DC Commission on the Arts U Street Festival. He also created a backdrop New World Dance Co. in Washington, DC which has been used by former Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly and entertainer Stevie Wonder; and more recently, he painted the Millennium Image for The Capital Jazz Fest in Annapolis, MD. Currently Stevens is completing a Public Commission for the Montgomery County Public Art Trust in Maryland. Most recent commissions include 10 x 20 ft. mural sponsor by actor Blair Underwood and a 4 ft. x 40 ft. mural by the City of Oakland & the Art & Soul Festival.

In addition, Carter has exhibited nationally including the Blair Museum, Holidaysburg, PA, the Southern Alleghenies Museum, Johnstown, PA, the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, Philadelphia, PA, Artspace Gallery, Sacramento, CA, Ariel Gallery, New York, NY, the Palm Beach Gallery, Houston, TX, the Ira Pinto Gallery, Washington, DC, Gallery 10, Washington, DC, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, the Anacostia Mueseum, Washington, DC, The Smithsonian, The Sumner Museum, Washington, DC and continues to exhibit in alternative art spaces such as, the Garfinckels Building and the Washington Gas Co. Building, The Franklin Court Building, Washington, DC.

Carter has won several awards such as the DC Commission on the Arts Technical Assistance Award, a visiting Smithsonian Institution of Fellowship, several Artist in Residence grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. He won the ArTrends Gallery Choice Awards 2000 for the best Contemporary Artist. Stevens is a 2006 recipient of The Pollock – Krasner Foundation Grant Award. He has also held non-solicited faculty positions at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, and Slippery Rock University.

Included in his career are lectures at the Smithsonian Institute, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Pittsburgh. His bibliography list includes Evening Magazine Channel 2, The 2-Day Show, Black Chronicle, Pittsburgh, Magazine, the Shooting Star Review, The City Paper, DC Arts, Art Trends Magazine, The Washington Times. And most recently the alumni publication, the Pitt News.