James Carpenter has worked at the intersection of fine art, architecture and engineering for nearly 50 years, advancing a distinctive vision conceptually founded on the optical and material properties of materials and light as they reveal the presence of nature. Originally studying architecture before concentrating on the fine arts, Carpenter exhibited in the United States and Europe through the 1970s, creating immersive film installations. Carpenter established James Carpenter Design Associates in 1979 which has applied these aesthetic principles to transforming the public realm through public art and design projects.

Carpenter has been recognized with numerous national and international awards, including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Velux Daylight Award, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award and the Smithsonian National Environment Design Award. He holds a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and was a Loeb Fellow of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.