LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
LaVon Williams Jr. (Born 1958, American)
55" x 24", Sculpted and painted wood
Lexington, Kentucky based artist LaVon Williams Jr.’s
Last Will and Testament was commissioned by Kentucky Performing Arts’ ArtsReach program for the 2012 Keepers of the Dream community arts celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision.
LaVon Williams Jr. was introduced to carving by his older brother, Dave Wright, who was introduced to carving by their great uncle, Luke Wright. Williams considers himself to be an Urban folk artist, drawing inspiration from blues and jazz that were tastes he absorbed from his father and from the multitude of clubs near his home growing up in Colorado. In high school he became an All-American basketball star and subsequently attended the University of Kentucky on an athletic scholarship. That team won the NCAA championship in 1978. Williams graduated from UK in 1980 with a degree in Fine Art. However, Williams did not pursue a career in sculpture until after a stint playing professional basketball in Italy and Japan. Williams was the 2006 recipient of the Kentucky Governor’s Awards in the Arts. Today he is considered a preeminent, southern folk artist.
