Wright Auction

James Carpenter is a designer and architectural consultant, renowned for his unexpected and artful use of glass. Born in 1949, Carpenter enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design intending to study architecture, but after taking a class with Dale Chihuly, he changed his focus to sculpture. He graduated in 1972 and worked under Chihuly until 1975; the two designed lighting together and Carpenter established his unique approach to glass under Chihuly’s tutelage. Carpenter also worked for Corning Glass Ware for over a decade, developing products. In 1979, he founded his own firm, James Carpenter and Associates, initially working on small, private commissions and later consulting international architectural offices on high-profile buildings and spaces. His most known and celebrated projects include a re-design of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in 2010, the Sky Reflector-Net in the Fulton Center terminal in New York in 2015 and assisting on the design of 7 World Trade Center, which also featured a Jenny Holzer work. Carpenter was awarded a MacArthur genius grant in 2004 and was honored by the American Institute of Architects in 1991 for his innovative contributions to the field.