Slowing Time with Carrington Ware
Carrington Ware, Cozy, Digital Illustration (2024)
“Rest, for me, is a luxury and a right. When people think of luxury, they often imagine wealth, grand possessions, or excess, but I see rest as one of the most valuable luxuries—one that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable and unattainable in this life. It’s about actually having the chance to slow down.”
— Carrington Ware
Every year, we collaborate with an artist to share a holiday wish. It’s with so much joy that Carrington Ware is this season’s commissioned artist. Her time-based piece quite literally requires that we slow down and observe.
A tradition inspired by the Museum of Modern Art's Junior Council, which initiated a holiday card program in 1954 to help foster their interest in the arts and support artists, this collaboration with Carrington marks our seventh iteration and our fourth digital project. Previous participating artists include Jared McGriff, Isabela Dos Santos, Mark Fleuridor, Nicole Salcedo, Alex Nuñez, and Harumi Abe.
Carrington’s work is especially poignant as we experiment with artists creating in time-based mediums, and ground in the possibilities offered by Black Rest—an underpinning value of our program alongside community partners with NYU Center for Black Visual Culture.
Six questions with Carrington Ware,
by Claudia Des Rosiers
Carrington Ware is a Miami-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans illustration, video, sound, textiles, and installation. Moved by play and curiosity, her approach reflects themes of place, identity, and culture. Current explorations in her work focus on Black narratives, nostalgia, and archiving.
During our conversation, “home” was a recurring theme. I asked, “Where is home for you?” With a warm smile, she shared, “Home is Aragon, Georgia. I’m from Rome, Georgia, but really, it’s Aragon—like the mythical place in the Lord of the Rings books.” She described it as a mountainous, rooted community that holds a special place in her heart despite its complexities. “It’s very different than living in South Florida,” she added. “Generations of my family have lived there.”
The interview below is edited for clarity and brevity.
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Claudia Des Rosiers: Can you tell us about your creative process and guiding themes in your work?
Carrington Ware: My creative process begins with curiosity—an interest in a new theme or subject I want to explore. From there, I dive into research, immersing myself in the topic until I have a fully formed idea to work from. After, imagination, experimentation, and a sense of play take over take over. This phase of play is essential—because that’s where the creative spark is kindled.
Are there specific places or environments that influence you most as an artist, particularly as we explore the concepts of rest, renewal, and replenishment?
The first place that comes to mind is home. When Miami becomes overwhelming, home is my escape. Sometimes, the city’s energy can be taxing and retreating to a more rural area— like where my family lives—provides a sense of peace. At home, there’s land, space, and the freedom to do anything without the pressure of being seen. I can simply relax, create, and unwind.
Those slower, unhurried spaces bring me back to rest and calm. They give me time to reset and cultivate patience.
What does rest mean for you?
Rest, for me, is a luxury and a right. When people think of luxury, they often imagine wealth, grand possessions, or excess, but I see rest as one of the most valuable luxuries—one that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable and unattainable in this life. It’s about actually having the chance to slow down.
Rest also comes from having a support system. Home, in particular, is a healing place for me. It’s more than a physical space; it’s a source of renewal. Rest, in nurturing environments, is medicinal.
What can we do to offer artists more ease in their practice?
Start by approaching artists with a clear plan, honesty, and integrity. Honest interactions are key. Too often, artists are placed in positions where they’re treated as if they are in service to others, or like their work should be done in exchange for exposure.
More importantly, it’s about building community beforehand—taking the time to genuinely connect with artists instead of only reaching out when a proposal or transaction is in mind. In Miami, I feel there’s a need for more of this kind of community-building that isn’t purely transactional. Emotional support, understanding, and care are just as valuable.
You can operate with a sense of care and respect for an artist’s work without necessarily being their biggest fan: It’s about showing up for each other in meaningful ways.
What are some of your biggest influences as an artist
Outside of the art world, my biggest influence is my family. They are so important to me because of how they’ve persevered through challenges, they have fun and they’ve been incredibly supportive of everything I do. A lot of the work I create is about them or inspired by them. For example, this holiday card is a reflection of them—it’s something I can do because of their unwavering support. I get to explore themes like rest and create work about being a restful person because they’ve made that possible for me.
Within the art world, my biggest influences are my friends and the artists in my life. They’re my main celebrities—the ones I look toward for inspiration and encouragement. These are the people who influence me the most. If I were to name big names, I’d say Lorna Simpson, Amelia Bennett, Mendi + Keith Obadike, Manjit Thapp, and the collective E.A.T (Experiments in Art and Technology).
I’m also heavily influenced by reading. Writers like bell hooks, Crystal Wilkinson, and Nikki Giovanni have cultivated immense creativity in my practice because they dared to imagine rest within rural landscapes that I can relate to.
Ultimately, artists, writers, and people that directly surround me influence me the most.
What would your dream project look like?
My dream project would be to create a film about my home in this reimagined Black sense of this very rural exclusionary place I had to grow up in. It could be something like the A24 movie All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which is beautifully Black and rural, but my film would focus on my family and might not follow a strictly linear narrative.
Memory-keeping is important to me because of all the changes happening in my hometown: new people moving in, forests being cleared, fast food chains popping up. I’d want to film and archive my hometown before it’s gone, preserving the essence of what it was. It would be a tribute to the place where I first learned to rest.
MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST
Carrington Ware earned her MFA from Florida International University in 2020 and her BFA from Valdosta State University in 2015. She currently lives and works in South Florida. Select solo exhibitions include Soft (2023) at Tunnel Projects, Leisure (2021) at Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Parkhaus15 Presents: Carrington Ware (2020) at Parkhaus15 in Orlando, Florida. Her work has been featured in group exhibitions such as Meditations On Waking Up (2024) at Tunnel Annex + Miami Design District, Voices of Experience: Invited Artists’ Works (2024) at The Frank Gallery, Evidence of Contrary Instincts (2024) at The Arc, Banned!: Story Tellers (2024) at The Lowe Museum, 2022 South Florida Consortium (2023) at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, and Y’all Don’t Hear Me: The Black Appalachia (2023) at Stoveworks.