'Rhythm in Relief' now open at KFAC
Morehead State University’s Kentucky Folk Art Center has announced the opening of “LaVon Williams: Rhythm in Relief” 
exhibit.
The opening is held in conjunction with A Day in the Country Folk Art Fair and the Clack Mountain Music Festival on June 6.
The exhibition is funded in part by a grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kentucky Arts Council.
“In my six years at KFAC, this is the most important, enjoyable, and energizing project that I’ve been associated with,” said Matt Collinsworth, KFAC director. “So many people across the country have been moved by LaVon’s work to become a part of this project. When you hear a great song, read a great book, or see great art, you know it. Williams’ work, gathered together like this, leaves one awestruck.”
The exhibit will feature more than 60 works by the Lexington woodcarver. Born in Florida in 1958, his family moved to Denver in 1968. Williams finished high school in 1976 and was named a high school All-American.
He played for Coach Joe B. Hall at the University of Kentucky and was a member of the 1978 NCAA championship squad. In .jpg?n=6336 "photo-rent-party-lavon")
1980, Williams graduated from UK with a degree in sociology. After he played professionally in Italy and Japan, Williams returned to Lexington in the mid-1980s and has lived there ever since with his family.
Williams was introduced to carving as a child by his great uncle, Luke Wright, who was a woodcarver. LaVon’s older half-brother, Dave Wright, was inspired to begin carving after watching Luke at work. Dave, in turn, taught his brother him how to carve.
Williams dedicated himself to carving at the conclusion of his basketball career. For more than 20 years, he has maintained his own studio, separate from the family’s home. Working with hammers and chisels, Williams has become one of America’s preeminent wood carvers.
In his conclusion to the essay for the exhibition catalog, KFAC’s Artistic Director Adrian Swain wrote, “Now in his early 50s, LaVon Van Williams is at the top of his creative game. There is greater fluency in how he presents his subject, more economy in his physical touch. We are led to wonder whether certain people were not in fact put on this earth to bear witness through art.”
Kentucky Folk Art Center is a cultural, educational and economic development service of MSU. The Center is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
Additional information is available by calling (606) 783-2204 or by visiting its Web site at www.kyfolkart.org.
Posted: 5-22-09
