Sandy Williams IV

Sandy Williams IV is an interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and professor whose work explores how time exists and is understood across cultures, in personal experiences, and as a system of measurement. Williams’ public art practice considers communal histories, systems of confinement and control, and interpersonal relationships. Williams creates works for both galleries and public environments. Their ephemeral and permanent memorials honor overlooked histories, invite public participation, and imagine new ways communities can remember, heal, and move toward collective freedom.

Williams received their BA from the University of Virginia and their MFA in sculpture and extended media from Virginia Commonwealth University. Williams was a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Fellowship (2024), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship (2023), the MacDowell Artist Residency (2024), and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Artist Residency (2023). Their work is in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Harnett Museum at the University of Richmond, and the Roanoke College Permanent Art Collection, among others. Sandy Williams IV is currently an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Richmond.

“My work follows in the tradition of freedom fighters and emancipation workers. I ground myself in the stories of Black and indigenous people fighting against the most extreme odds to survive and persist. I see myself as their ally and ancestor continuing the work towards our shared dream of equality and freedom.”

“I hope that my work can conjure moments of reflection for people. I would like to inspire a sense of catharsis that is communal and opens viewers up to perspectives they may not have otherwise considered. More than their aesthetic value, I see my artworks as conversation pieces, like portals or bridges to thoughts, feelings, or histories that are absent, intangible, or might only exist invisibly within the space.”

-Sandy Williams IV

Sandy Williams IV, The Wax Monument IV (Stuart), 2022, wax sculpture, Roanoke College Permanent Art Collection; Sandy Williams IV, The Wax Monument III (Lee), 2022, wax sculpture, Roanoke College Permanent Art Collection; Sandy Williams IV, The (Bronze) Wax Monument IV (Stuart), 2022, bronze sculpture, Roanoke College Permanent Art Collection

Authors and Architects

Authors and Architects by Sandy Williams IV honors the legacies of the men, women, and children who were enslaved by Roanoke College founders between 1842 and 1865, recognizing the roles of enslaved people as creators and founders in the history of the college. Each of the names or identifications on this memorial, listed on the spines of the books, belonged to an enslaved person with specific ties to Roanoke College.

Cast from 3D scanned replicas from the college’s original library and record books, the sculpture creates a physical presence meant to acknowledge the freedom and education denied to these individuals while underscoring the foundational role they played in establishing the Roanoke community.

The title, “Authors and Architects”, recognizes the roles of enslaved people as creators and founders in the history of the college. Their roles and identities extend beyond the conditions of subjugation typically used to bind and minimize the legacies of Black and Brown people in the telling of American history. This memorial honors the memory of people enslaved at and around Roanoke College, acknowledges the freedom and education denied to them in their own time, and underscores the significant roles that Black people played in the establishment and success of the broader community.