Why settle for one professional or creative outlet when you can have two … or more? Lately, CBU professor Scott A. Carter is a case study in the joy of synergy.
In 2019, Carter and his partner, visual artist Johana Moscoso, moved from chilly Wisconsin to moderate-to-hot Memphis. Carter had been offered an arts residency at Crosstown, and around six months later, Moscoso accepted a position as residency coordinator there.
The couple found a great house with ample room for a studio and were settling into their new surroundings when CBU posted a job that caught Carter’s eye. Unlike most offerings, this job combined his two interests: teaching and gallery work.
Carter applied and was selected for the position—an early indicator that synergy was alive and well in their new city.
In his dual roles at CBU, Carter teaches classes like 3-D design, experimental drawing, advanced studio, and senior seminar in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and he serves as the gallery coordinator at the Beverly + Sam Ross Gallery.
“It’s why I applied,” says Carter. “I was interested in the dual approach.”
Motivated by his interactions with students, Carter is equally engaged in bringing new exhibitions to the gallery.
“I love the opportunity to help in the design process and execute an ambitious project,” he said. “There are lots of amazing local artists in Memphis, and—especially for emerging artists—an exhibit at the CBU gallery is, oftentimes, their first solo show or an opportunity for them to try something new. They have strong work but may not have an extensive exhibition history. My students also have the opportunity to interact with the artists, so it’s a really great mix.”
Over the past year, synergy struck again when Carter accomplished a gratifying merger of his two favorite artistic expressions.
“I’ve been trying for 10 years now to weave the practices of art and music,” said Carter, whose resulting exhibit, Scott A. Carter: Energy States, is on display through Jan. 19, 2025, at Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
The 20-piece collection consists of stand-alone sculptures using materials as varied as amplifiers, plexiglass, beer bottles, solder, silk flowers, and guitar cables. Some pieces are influenced by furniture, some of them—when activated—are semi-functional and emit sound or can be played as an instrument.
Carter credits CBU with giving him the balance and space to be artistically fruitful. All the pieces in the Dixon exhibition were completed within the last year.
“I’m feeling really satisfied,” said Carter. “Both outputs [art and music] are embodied in this work. This is the first time I’ve put them together and been happy with both.”
Carter completed his undergraduate degree at Savannah College of Art & Design and earned a master in fine arts degree in Sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011. His office is in Rosa Deal School of Arts.
