Woodcarving Exhibition
LaVon Van Williams, Jr., uses the traditional wood-carving techniques of Western Africa to depict images of contemporary African-American life. He learned these skills from a brother, who in turn, learned from an uncle. Much of his work reflects the close-knit community of his Lakeland, Florida roots, as well as his love of jazz, passed down from his father, a jazz aficionado.
His art could be seen as a visual form of jazz: a syncopation of the human form in motion, grounded in the African-American experience, and universal in its appeal.
LaVon was recruited to play for the U.K. basketball team, and was a member of the Wildcat’s team that won the NCAA Championship in 1978. After earning a degree in sociology, he played basketball in Europe before returning home in the mid-1980s.
Williams was the 2006 recipient of the Kentucky Governor’s Award in the Arts. A retrospective of his artwork “Rhythm in Relief,” was mounted by the Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead.
The exhibit featured Dejá Baker, Bryan Station High School student, selected by LaVon for these two pieces. (Click on image for full size.)
