Carson Grant

Infobox Actor
name = Carson Grant


imagesize =
caption = Carson Grant 2007
birthname = Carson Ferri-Grant
birthdate = December 17, 1950 (age 57)
birthplace = Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
occupation = Actor and artist
yearsactive = 1970-present
spouse =
domesticpartner =
website = http://www.carsongrant.com
academyawards =
awards = Guild of Italian American Actors: Italian American Heritage Award 2007

Carson Grant (born December 17, 1950) is an American actor and artist from the United States. Grant has created characters and stories in visual mediums as drawings, paintings, in films and on stage.

Biography

Early years in Rhode Island

1950sBorn and raised in a hard working middle-class family in Rhode Island. His first acting performances were in the Touisett Point Coggleshell Community Center in Warren, Rhode Island at 6 years old. At ten he teamed up with his playmate Susan to create children's theater/variety shows in the family's garage attic, where he directed, art directed and acted in productions performed with and for the neighborhood children. During his grammar school years, he designed the themed showcases displays and painted murals reflecting the seasons.

1960'sAt the age of twelve, Grant attended the Rhode Island School of Design Saturday classes and within the year won the RI Gold Key Artisans Award. During his teenage years he was lead vocalist with two rock & roll bands (music) performing at events throughout New England, including "Battle of the Bands" sponsored by WPROdn RI radio station. He graduated St. Raphael Academy, taught by the La Salle Brothers, and began a fine arts program at University of Rhode Island.

Pursuing acting and art career

1970'sGrant moved to New York City in 1970 to study acting technique with Lee Strasberg. He joined the professional acting unions: Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Actors Equity Association; and was represented by the William Morris Agency. He trained with Wally Harper, who coached his baritone voice, and Phil Black who trained him with modern jazz and fencing.

Grant perform various acting roles with New York City Opera and began his film acting career in films as "Man on a Swing", "The Front" and "Death Wish". He portrayed 'Romeo' in "Romeo and Juliet" at New Jersey Shakespeare in the Park and was young 'Thomas Jefferson' in "The Last Ballot" in the WNET 13 Bicentennial series.

Grant painted large oil canvases and constructed many art installations in alternative exhibition spaces as part of the 1970s East Village, Manhattan 1970s Art Movement. Leo Castelli recognized Carson's installation of living sand sculptures 'Coney Island Bathing Beauties' shown in the "The Coney Island Art Show 1981," and his triptych 'In Life Turmoil' in the "Time Square Show" 1981. His one-man exhibition was called "Nature-Nuclear" at the 1979 Jack Morris Gallery, NYC, where he constructed a large climb-up-into 'scarred Mother Earth Uterus' post nuclear with her next distorted generation traveling down her maimed fallopian tubes into her contaminated womb (30' x 40'), encouraged the viewer to consider alternative energy sources to protect our environment. [Dalton, James. "How Does a Man Imagine Post Nuclear." "Pawtucket Times". p.17. November 30, 1979] During this decade he help establish the 'Westside Arts Coalition' [Prytyskacz, Jean. "Focus on an Artist." "Westside Arts Coalition Newsletter". Spring 2007, p.5] and exhibited his artwork in alternative spaces throughout NYC, as one of the artists in the New York City 1970s East Villiage Art Movement.

Graduating as a Psi Chi Honors Sociey recipient in Psychology and elected Psi Chi president at CUNY - Hunter College BA program, Grant's master thesis on the "Therapeutic Validity of Drama/Art Therapy", earned him a MA (Summa Cum Laude) at University of Connecticut, and postgraduate work at Columbia University. Grant presented his research at Georgetown's Drama Therapy Association 1985 convention.

Art installations and digital media

1980sGrant attended and taught at Pratt School of Art and Design, New York City to enhance his knowledge of computer graphics and digital editing. He worked as a computer graphic artist, animator and editor using AT&T- NASA software, creating formats for the premiere of CD-Rom and DVD and Internet technology, for NYC companies as: Fusion, Advanced Graphics, Exhibit Technologies, Carabineer, and Ogilvy & Mather Advertising.

Painting on the computer tablet, Carson created animations for the 1991 "Sony's Time Square Video Screen", present day "Panasonic panel" hung on the One Times Square building, for the Ayer Advertising campaign 'Breakthrough with the Unexpected" animation of an egg cracking to release a butterfly [Taylor, Cathy. "Gratis Ads Light Great White Way." "Adweek". p.21. February 25, 1991,] and also projects for IBM, Intel, Kodak, DeBeers, Shell, American Express, and National Geographic's "Global Access Interactive Gallery" in Washington, DC.

1990sFor the SIGGRAPH - 1990 Convention, Texas, Grant constructed inside the second floor of the old Dallas Union Train Station, a walk-under suspended cellophane and plastic 3-D hologram mountain installation "Harmony Mountain" (100' x 100') in the artist's words, "to harness and directed peaceful energy from the viewers under the mountain through a twenty foot, five pointed "Texas Star Vortex" which was hung between the two massive exterior columns on the balcony into the historically tarnished "Dallas Dealy Plaza and book depository" hoping to honor John F. Kennedy's memory." [Prytyskacz, Jean. "Focus on an Artist." "Westside Arts Coalition Newsletter". Spring 2007, p.5.] Carson was honored with the SIGGRAPH Award of Vision in Art.

Returning to acting

In 1998, Italian director Edoardo Amati asked Grant to portray his lead character in the film "Master Shot". [Kaminsky, Denise. "Carson Grant: Actor/Artist- A Lifetime of Art." "Denise's Interviews and Media News". Aug 2006, p.1]

2000sTo date Carson Grant has created more than 300 film characters [Davis, Leesa. "Who Got the Part: Carson Grant." "Backstage". November 9, 2006, p. 18.] [Van Schalkwyk, Cindy. "Native Son's Heart is in the Arts." "Warren Times Gazette", RI, p 1. Jan 11, 2007.] many which have screened at national and international film festivals, including Cannes Film Festival.

Awards

In 2007, GIAA, the Guild of Italian American Actors, awarded The Italian American Heritage Award [Fiorletta, Carlo. "Film Festival 2007." "Guild of Italian American Actors Newletter". p.1. October 2007.] to Carson Grant for his role in the film "God Bless America" for contributing to the positive portrayal of the Italian American culture, GIAA Film Festival 2007. Carson Grant dedicated his IAHA metal to his nephew, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Shawn Raymond Benjamin, who served 12 years in the U.S.A. Army - Airborne, Ranger, UH 60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot (2nd Battalion 505th Infantry 82nd Airborne Division, 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, 1st Battalion 145th Aviation Regiment, B Company 2nd Battalion 82nd Airborne Division and SERE Detachment 1st Aviation Brigade) and lost his life in 2006. [Gatlin, Marti. "Fallen Soldier Receives Honors." "U.S. Army Aviator Flier". Georgia, p 1, 5A. March 2, 2006] [Sherman, Amy. March 4, 2006. "Served with Honor." "The Times". RI, p A2-5.]

Personal notes

Grant's maternal lineage genealogy dates to 1636 when John Sweet (emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts 1630 on the Winthrop Fleet, [Banks, Charles Edward, "The Winthrop Fleet of 1630", originally published: Boston, MA: 1930; reprinted Genealogical Publishing Co.: Baltimore, MD: 1961, etc.; ISBN 0-8063-0020-5.] departing from Plymouth, England) who was granted land by Roger Williams, [RI Historical Society Library, registered Founders and Patriots abt. 1637 p. 234 State Records of RI.] as part of the 38 families who traveled with Williams from Massachusetts to establish the colony of Rhode Island based upon principles of complete religious toleration, separation of church and state, and political democracy; values represented in the USA constitution. "Roger Williams insisted that land must be purchased from the Indians, rather than taken from them forcefully, in order to claim title to it. Williams then purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established the settlement of Providence, Rhode Island." [Hazard, Thomas Rowland, Recollections of Olden Times, 1879, p. 264 Sanborn Press, Newport, RI] "I consider the Sweets a most remarkable family, not only as natural bone setters, but as an innocent inoffensive, easy going, happy people." [Hazard, Thomas Rowland, The Johnny Cake Papers of Shephard Tom, 1879,p. 230, 334 Sanborn Press Newport, RI.]

Several pieces of ornately carved art objects and furniture created by Grant's great grandfather, William Russell Sweet (1860-1946) are on display at the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society Museum in Kingston, RI. [Hoxie, Louise M., The History of Peacedale, Rhode Island, 1968, Chapter 4, p. 32 Wakefield Printing Company for Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, RI] Carson's grandfather was Colonel Russell Herndon Sweet (1894-1966), RI National Guard since 1915, former chief of public relations for the First Service Command, honored in 1946 with the Legion of Merit Medal for his brave work in the Military Intelligence Service (United States) of the War Department during both World War I and World War II, [Griswold, Oscar, February 8, 1946, Col Sweet Cited by Army for work in Intelligence, "Pawtucket Times", RI p.5] who married Lucy Humphey Young in Peacedale, Rhode Island 1919, and was buried 1966 in Arlington National Cemetery (Section 35 Site 61).

Carson Ferri-Grant's paternal family lineage, Anchise Augustino Ferri and Mary Massari Ferri married and emigrated from Bientia & Massa Carrarra, Italy to Rhode Island in 1909, giving birth to three children. Carson's parents, Joseph Anchise Ferri married Leila Natalie Sweet in Rhode Island, 1945.

In 2008 Carson Ferri-Grant, as the tenth generation who assisted in establishing the United States of America's independence was honored with a membership into the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution through the Rhode Island Chapter. [Vest, Stephen M. Spring 2008, "Welcome New Members Compatriots", The SAR Magazine, Vol. 102, No.4, p.46.]

His final resting place will be in the Sweet Family [Joy, Robert, 1954, "Natural Bonesetters with special reference to the Sweet Family of RI", Bullentin of the History of Medicine, RI 28, No.3, p. 416-441.] [McParland, Martha, Jan. 1968, Family who Practiced the Medical Art of Bonesetting, "Yankee", RI, Vol. 32, p.80, 98-101. (reprinted from McParland, M., Feb. 16, 1830, Family who Practiced the Medical Art of Bonesetting, "Providence Journal",RI )] plot at Oak Dell Historical Cemetery, Peacedale, RI, marked with the gravestone 'Carson Young Sweet Ferri' with a self written quote, "Experience to your fullest autonomy, Achieving mental and spiritual harmony, For our decay is nature's economy, Life's humor, what a comedy! Be Kind."

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0335300
* [http://www.backstage.com/bso/community/success/success_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003382116 Backstage "Who Got The Part: Carson Grant" Davis, Leesa]
* [http://www.dkamin.com/actoractressinterviews/carsongrant.html Denise's Interviews and Media News]
* [http://newsblaze.com/story/20070113151501tsop.nb/topstory.html NewsBlaze "Audition ABC's with Carson Grant" Kaminsky, Denise]
* [http://newsblaze.com/story/20080709071014tsop.nb/topstory.html NewsBlaze "Forging Comedy and Drama" Kaminsky, Denise]
* [http://www.wsacny.org/grant/index.htm Westside Arts Coalition]