Exploring the Evolution of The Carpenter Art Collection

A watercolor painting depicting a silhouette of a person bending down in a forest scene with soft, muted colors.

The Carpenter is a collection of art, whether it is a painting, poem, or photograph, that is published annually in the spring. This year will be the 37th annual The Carpenter. It started in the spring of 1987 and has continued since. When it began, it was only a few short stories and poems, with a couple of drawings included. As it continued year by year, it gradually grew into a larger and more respected collection of works. More deliberation was put into formatting and production quality.

An artistic depiction of a city skyline under a full moon, featuring tall buildings silhouetted against a dark sky with hints of color reflecting below.

Illustration of two individuals standing back to back, each holding a guitar, with their reflections visible on the ground.

The Carpenter is a collection of all genres, but not too long ago, a distinct theme could be seen. From my perspective, looking back at past editions, the publication’s overall mood was much darker. The written pieces focused on topics like depression, death, and anxiety. This might have reflected the culture at the time, or students may have used writing as an outlet for their emotions. I think the pictures only being in black and white limited the artists, and a darker tone felt natural. There is a noticeable shift in mood when color is introduced. It is not immediate, and one of the first years to include color, 2011, is a particularly dark edition of The Carpenter.

In the modern The Carpenter, you can see a stark contrast to The Carpenter of old. You would be hard-pressed to find examples of strange horror-like imagery in the last five years of The Carpenter. Not only has the imagery shifted, but the stories and poems have shifted too. There is still the occasional story or essay about depression, but it is nothing compared to what it once was.

An artistic depiction featuring a baseball and a car connected by a looping line, set against a dark background.

On top of the tonal shifts, there is also a clear deliberation in pairing imagery with writing pieces that was largely missing from previous editions. I understand that this is partially because some years have more art-focused students than others. It is simpler things, like a poem about a bird having a bird illustration next to it. Overall, I think The Carpenter may have mirrored the cultural attitude of the time it was written, and is a really cool window into what student life was like during that period. I encourage everyone to take a look at The Carpenter sometime and appreciate the effort that was put into making it.