Three Philly-area Museums Collaborate on Syd Carpenter Retrospective

The Woodmere, Maguire, and Berman museums each take on different aspects of the sculptor's five-decade career.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The Woodmere, Maguire, and Berman museums in the Philadelphia area are hosting a retrospective exhibition of the work of sculptor Syd Carpenter, who has had a 50-year career. The three museums are each focusing on different aspects of Carpenter's artistic practice, from her early pottery work to her more recent sculptural pieces exploring themes of Black farming heritage and maternal inspiration.

Why it matters

This collaborative retrospective highlights Carpenter's long and influential career as a sculptor, as well as the connections and mutual support among a group of Black women artists who came up together in the 1970s. The exhibition also explores Carpenter's deep engagement with themes of land, community, and the importance of Black ownership and stewardship of land - issues that have become increasingly relevant in recent years.

The details

The largest exhibition, "Syd Carpenter: Planting in Place, Time and Memory" at the Woodmere Museum, traces Carpenter's creative trajectory from the 1970s to the early 2000s, showcasing her evolution from traditional pottery to more sculptural, organic forms. The Maguire Museum's "Re-Union" exhibition features Carpenter's work alongside that of four other Black women sculptors - Martha Jackson Jarvis, Judy Moonelis, Sana Musasama, and Winnie Owens-Hart - who were peers and mutual supporters. The Berman Museum's "Syd Carpenter: Home Bound in Wood, Steel and Clay" focuses on Carpenter's most recent work, including her "Mother Pin" series that pays tribute to her mother's influence.

  • The "Re-Union" exhibition at the Maguire Museum will be on view until March 29, 2026.
  • The "Syd Carpenter: Home Bound in Wood, Steel and Clay" exhibition at the Berman Museum will be on view until April 5, 2026.
  • The "Syd Carpenter: Planting in Place, Time and Memory" exhibition at the Woodmere Museum will be on view until May 24, 2026.

The players

Syd Carpenter

A sculptor with a 50-year career, whose work has explored personal experience and African American history.

William Valerio

The director and CEO of the Woodmere Museum, which is hosting the largest retrospective exhibition of Carpenter's work.

Erin Downey

The associate curator at the Maguire Museum, who helped curate the "Re-Union" exhibition featuring Carpenter and four other Black women sculptors.

Lauren McCardel

The director of the Berman Museum, which is hosting an exhibition focused on Carpenter's most recent work.

Ernestine Carpenter

Syd Carpenter's mother, who has been a deep source of inspiration for the artist's sculptural work.

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What they’re saying

“My studio is a dangerous place. I don't know what's going to happen in there. I often don't know the process, because everything I do is a new event. I have to invent it.”

— Syd Carpenter, Sculptor (WHYY News)

“That I have this opportunity, which as far as I know is pretty unique, to have a retrospective that's spread across three institutions, and have it produced on the level that it has been produced, that to me is humbling to say the least.”

— Syd Carpenter, Sculptor (WHYY News)

“During the pandemic, when I lived in a senior community and was incredibly isolated from my four sisters, who I only saw on Zoom … it's Syd that invited me to come stay in her house. She's been healing, she's been loving, she's been caring, and she made me feel whole when I didn't.”

— Sana Musasama, Sculptor (WHYY News)

“One of the things that I like to emphasize is, they must own it. In this country if you don't own land, you are powerless. Especially if you're doing something that's farming and gardening. That is an important symbolic if not actual physical indication of vitality and spirit and strength.”

— Syd Carpenter, Sculptor (WHYY News)

“The ideas that she's exploring in terms of placemaking and community, the importance of being on the land and owning land and describing name to place, that's something she has been investigating for, at this point, many years. Those conversations are only becoming more relevant as some of those issues are in jeopardy for a lot of people in this country.”

— Lauren McCardel, Director, Berman Museum (WHYY News)

The takeaway

This collaborative retrospective of Syd Carpenter's work across three Philadelphia-area museums highlights the artist's long and influential career, as well as the enduring connections and mutual support among a group of pioneering Black women sculptors. Carpenter's work explores deeply personal and community-oriented themes, including the importance of Black land ownership and stewardship - issues that have only grown more relevant in recent years.