The third annual William Edmondson Arts & Culture Festival took place Saturday in Nashville, focusing on the theme of keeping the legacy alive. Organizers say it is Nashville’s only art and craft fair intentionally highlighting Black and brown artists and craftspeople.
Sculptor Wilson Lee Junior, who discovered his artistic talents at the age of 12, shared his perspective on creativity. “You don’t count the time; you make the time count,” he said. Growing up with a woodworker father, Wilson quickly developed his skills and found inspiration in other artists, particularly the late William Edmondson. “He’s a stone carver; I’m a wood carver. So I said, wait a minute. When I saw his work, I said, okay, yeah, he reminds me of myself,” he added.
Mark Schlicher, a member of the Friends of the Edmondson Homesite Board of Directors, provided insight into Edmondson’s background. “William was born to formerly enslaved parents on a plantation in southwest Nashville, now Green Hills. His widowed mother and siblings eventually settled in the Edgehill neighborhood.”…