Willie Williams with his sculpture “Village” at City Walk Bham. (Callie Morrison, Bham Now)
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By Callie Morrison | Bham Now
Through its skatepark, pickleball courts and so much more, City Walk Bham is known for bringing the community together. Continuing to support the community feel, there’s something new headed to the area—a sculpture garden.
Featuring the work of local artists, this garden will tell the stories of Birmingham’s people and history.
Bham Now chatted with Willie Williams about his pieces at City Walk and the inspiration behind them.
After graduating from Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) in 2014, Williams pursued an art degree at Birmingham Southern College.
In addition to his years of art education, Williams said that art follows him back to the age of four years old. That love brought him not only to receive a degree in the craft, but also to start his own studio, and now, having his art in the area he used to park his car in high school.
When I asked Williams what it meant to have his art displayed in his hometown, he expressed nothing but gratitude. “It means so much. I literally parked here to go to ASFA and now my art is on display in that very same spot. It’s a very full circle moment and I’m very proud.”
You can find Willie’s two sculptures — ”Village” and “The Hope and Dream”—on display at City Walk now.
Bham Now got the scoop on the inspiration of these two pieces. Williams said:
“‘Village’ is inspired by the concept that derives from different African traditions that ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ I just wanted to reflect something that speaks to that tradition and highlights people in an abstract way. You can see the predominance of silhouettes, a sense of unity and family in the piece.
‘The Hope and Dream’ represents the different generations that come forward and have different aspirations in the world. I like to pay homage to the people who came before me, and this piece does that. Now, I’m able to live the hope and the dream.”
For more on the modern, mobile guide to Birmingham, visit www.bhamnow.com.
