Sculptor, glassmaker, craftsman, and 2014 American Craft Council Fellow, William Carlson was born in 1950 in Dover, Ohio. Attending the Cleveland Institute of Art, Carlson graduated in 1973 with his BFA before going on for his MFA, which he received in 1976 from the New York State College of ceramics/glass at Alfred University in Alfred, New York. Carlson joined the faculty in the art department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1976, eventually taking over as the head of the crafts and sculpture program. In 2003, Carlson left Illinois for sunny Florida and a position as the chair of the department of art and art history at the University of Miami. Recently retired, he retains the title of professor emeritus. Carlson’s work stretches from three-dimensional, free-standing forms to two-dimensional wall sculptures incorporating stone, metal, ceramics, and glass to create geometrically abstract designs. He has also been commissioned to create numerous public works throughout the Midwest. Represented by Ken Saunders Gallery in Chicago and Habatat Gallery in Royal Oak, Michigan, Carlson’s work can be found in numerous collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Corning Museum of Glass, and the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC. Carlson lives and works in Monterey, Massachusetts.