For Willie Williams, Jr. ’18, the dream to open his own art gallery wasn’t something that waited until after graduation. The idea took form in 2015 and became a tangible gallery space by summer 2016, when he held a 10-artist opening show. At that point, Williams was only a junior at Birmingham-Southern, dedicating his summers to arts shows and other programs as the owner of Studio 2500.

Located at 2500 26^th Ave. North, Studio 2500 is housed in an old car garage that Williams and his father own in North Birmingham. Williams first opened the space to showcase his own work and the work of fellow artists and high school friends, and he’s now seen the gallery develop into a center for young and diverse creatives and a home for discussions across generations and backgrounds.

“The studio has grown into an art and cultural venue,” Williams says. “It’s infused with visual art, music, poetry and spoken word, and dialogues.”

Williams found his passion for art early – at four years old, he was drawing in church bulletins every Sunday. His father taught him different techniques as he explored drawing and watercolor, eventually leading him to enter the Alabama School of Fine Arts in eighth grade. During his senior year of high school and years at BSC, he focused on sculpture.

“I can go from very complex to sleek and contemporary,” Williams says. “I work with sculptural silhouettes, headpieces, and stylized faces on a smaller scale, but I also do organic large-scale sculpture with a modern architecture feel.”

While managing the gallery space and events, Williams still makes time to focus on his own work, and 2020 has been a big year for him. His carbon sculpture “Trinity” was one of 20 pieces selected for Chicago Sculptural International’s Sculpture in the Parks exhibition, which rotates pieces throughout the Chicago Park District over the course of one year.

Williams has also planned his own travelling installation, “The Arc of Justice,” that will carry into 2021. The installation is made up of multiple different outdoor metal sculptures that will be placed across the globe, together representing an international focus on the principles of justice and equality.

“This installation will bring unity and justice and humanity into global awareness, especially with the social unrest brought to the forefront right now,” Williams says. “This is something people can look at for years to come but is also representative of our point in time right now.”

While national recognition has allowed him to travel with his art, Williams remains focused on how his art and gallery can benefit Birmingham. The gallery plays an important role in its North Birmingham neighborhood, and Williams hopes to bring more beauty and light to the community – even as he expands his reach around the world.

Are you a graduate of the last decade? Tell us what you’re doing next! Email [email protected].

This story was published in the Fall/Winter 2020 issue of ’Southern, BSC’s alumni magazine.

If you have ideas for our next issue of ’Southern, please email [email protected]. We always welcome stories about outstanding people from the BSC community.