Carletta Carrington Wilson: Object Lessons

Part of Handwork 2026

Carletta Carrington Wilson (African American, living in Seattle) is a retired Librarian now devoted full-time to her practice as a poet and visual artist. She describes her work as ‘decorative with a message’ and has exhibited in numerous museums, galleries, and libraries. This retrospective will include her iconic large-scale installation Letter to a Laundress, and other existing series plus new work, which address the history of slavery in the United States, the African American diaspora, the lives of women, and the legacy of the late Dr, James W, Washington, Jr. – a prominent stone carver and Black community and civic leader. Wilson’s work is included in BIMA’s Permanent Art Collection, and the Cynthia Sears Artists’ Books Collection.