Wade H. Williams

An accomplished award-winning oil and watercolor painter, Wade Hampton Williams has made a living off his childhood passion for art since 1982, when he started his own business, Artist at Large. His work has been exhibited at such venues as the African American Art Exhibition within the Hayti Heritage Center, the Durham Art Guild Gallery, and the Carrack Gallery, and he has been commissioned to produce artwork by numerous organizations.

Upon graduating from high school in the late 1960s, Mr. Williams dove headfirst into academics, attending Saint Augustine’s College and ultimately graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1972. During his time at the college, he also attended Shaw University and Meredith College for the Arts—and alter spent 10 years as a scholar at the Art Students League of New York, during which time he studied drawing and oil painting under several masters of the craft and worked as a retouch artist for Harvey Publication. In 1989, he relocated to Belize in Central America, where he focused on painting with watercolors and oil paints. There, he gained recognition for his work when the Belize Institute gave him a one-man show and sold two of his paintings to the Mexican Embassy. When he returned to the United States, he settled in Philadelphia, where he worked for the city’s Mural Arts Program, a public program whose mission is to create murals in neighborhoods and communities. In addition to his own creative endeavors, he dedicated himself to art education as an instructor of children and teens through this program to provide murals for places that needed art—such as schools, public housing sites, and recreation centers. Over the course of 10 years, he worked at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation After-School Program, served as an instructor at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation Summer Camp for youths, and was active at the Greater Philadelphia Horticultural Society in the Art in the Park program over the course of 10 years. Mr. Williams subsequently returned to his hometown of North Carolina, where he completed his first commission for the Lincoln Community Health Center, a mural on fruits and vegetables titled “The Farmers Market,” for the WIC program.

An active volunteer, Mr. Williams spends time with youths at numerous recreation centers and parks, generously donating his time and sharing his experiences with young artists and youths. In addition, since 1969, he has been a member of a socially conscious group that has adopted a street in Durham—which they regularly maintain and donate—and regularly donate clothes to different centers and provide supplies and water to those in need. Looking toward the future, he strives to commit to personal growth and continuously improve and excel in his work; it has been fulfilling for him to bring a positive impact on people’s lives, which motivates him to stay focused on achieving his goals. Mr. Williams plans to continue his current work and pursue further success.