CROSSINGS by Bernard Williams

CROSSINGS traverses the Museum’s campus and features several dynamic vehicle sculptures by Bernard Williams in Wilder Park, Hostetler Gallery and large paintings in the McCormick House. Through the artworks on view, the artist addresses the concept of mobility as both the physical movement forward and the human aspiration to rise to better circumstances.

The Chicago-based artist has been making public murals and sculptures for over thirty years. Bold thick lines and generalized, flat shapes common in graphic illustration define his unique and playful sculptural style. Williams often researches and highlights little known or forgotten narratives in history to make his sculptures, paintings and murals, which offer new perspectives on the engineering innovations of the past and how they impact contemporary culture. The works are also a tribute to Black achievement in transportation and agriculture throughout American history. Pilot Bessie Coleman, NASCAR driver Wendell Scott, and the recent Black Farmers’ Settlement are some of the histories being honored in this exhibition. For Elmhurst, Williams also recognizes the lifetime achievements of the local NASCAR winner, Fred Lorenzen (1934-2024).

CROSSINGS runs concurrently with the exhibition Legacies: New Views of the Elmhurst Art Collection, which features Williams’ small sculptures from the collection of Cleve Carney, along with dozens of other artists in the Museum’s collection.

Curated by Allison Peters Quinn.

CROSSINGS by Bernard Williams is generously supported by:

Image: Bernard Williams, Route 27, painted plywood, aluminum, 6 x 6 x 20 feet. Photography by Michelle W.C. Anderson