Blessings of Extinction compares short-term adaptation to long-term evolution in nature, arguing that the survival of a marginalized species depends on the eventual extinction of its predators: white supremacy and heteronormativity. In that comparison, this exhibition highlights the impact that an individual’s seemingly small lifestyle changes can have on the overall trajectory of their entire community—demonstrating how choosing to be visibly authentic in one’s daily life sends ripples of hope through those who’ve come before and will come after them. The show includes wall-mounted illustrative quilts depicting the evolution of a fantastical creature and three puppet performances held in and outside of the gallery. This project is made possible with funds from the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson. In partnership with Dutchess County Pride.

About the artist: William PK Carter is a quilter and puppet artist based in Central Valley, New York. She bridges the puppet and fine-art worlds by fabricating wondrous creatures that exist at the intersection of queerness and blackness. She received her BS in Studio Art from Skidmore College in 2023 and is the recipient of the Skidmore College President’s Racial Justice Award, the John P. Heins Award: Outstanding Senior Thesis Exhibition, and a Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant. She is a current resident artist at LaMama Experimental Theatre Club, where she is developing a long-form puppetry piece entitled Beautiful Without Consequence.