William T Carson

William T. Carson's work is influenced by the landscapes and cultures in which he grew up — a cattle ranch in rural southeastern Montana and a small island in the Salish Sea. His artwork raises questions about our cultural understandings of fossil fuels and how we value natural materials. Carson studied architecture at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. He graduated from Colorado College with Distinction in Art Studio in 2015. In 2017, he presented his first solo exhibition Unearth at CAMIBAart Gallery in Austin, Texas. In 2020, Carson was selected as one of the “12 Artists to Know in New Mexico” by Southwest Contemporary; he was also invited to exhibit at the 2020 Salina Biennial. Carson’s time-based sculpture and sound performance “Sixty Million Years Until Now” was recently exhibited at the Missoula Art Museum in 2022. He lives in the mountains outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"Through my artwork I am searching for new ways to value coal. We often appreciate the earth’s natural resources for their economic value, but what if we look beyond that? I invite those who view my work to approach coal with curiosity in an attempt to reframe their relationship to the material, even if only for a little while. In my time creating art with coal, I have developed a fondness for the qualities of the material that I had previously overlooked, which I hope to share with others through my work."  — William T. Carson