You Want Some from the collection of Arts New Orleans

You Want Some

Mixed media

70 x 31 in (177.8 x 78.74 cm)

Location: Orleans Parish Juvenile Court 1100 Milton Street New Orleans, LA 70112 (Google map)

I gave my son a camera and told him to take pictures when he is on his walks through the neighborhood. It was a part of my ongoing campaign to help improve his mental health as well give him a opportunity to collaborate on some of my paintings. He came back with quite a few pictures. This one struck me. It was is a portrait of my neighborhood mechanic selling my son a cigarette for 50 cents. I have found that since the pandemic , I have realized a much deeper purpose with my life and my artwork. It has always been important to tell the stories of everyday black folk and use art as a tool for healing humanity.

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About the artist

Carl Joe Williams

b. 1970

Carl Joe Williams is a contemporary African American artist known for his multimedia paintings, sculpture, installations, and interdisciplinary works. Williams creates paintings and painted sculpture from found objects. He describes his works as “symphonies of colors” that present a powerful visual experience.

Williams’ installation, Journeys, was featured at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Atlanta, GA in 2002. His Sculptural Trees public art installation in Metairie, Louisiana, was described as reminiscent of “lollipops in a Candyland forest,” with their custom acrylic light boxes attached to crepe myrtles.

Williams is one of the founders of Blights Out, a Creative Capital-supported project in New Orleans along with artists Lisa Sigal and Imani Jacqueline Brown. Blights Out is a community- and artist-led initiative to activate agency.

Additional Details

About the artist

Carl Joe Williams