Free Docent Tours

As a survivor of a near-drowning experience, African American artist Charles Williams was not surprised to learn that the majority of accidental drowning victims in America are African American male teenagers. But Williams found inspiration in this life-altering experience: creating Swim: An Artist’s Journey, a series of paintings aimed at confronting his own deeply held fears, currently on display at the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum.

On Saturday, Feb. 21, the artist will give three guided tours of the exhibit, at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., and will be available between tours to answer questions about his work. The tours are free and open to the public.

“Swim” is a highly personal artistic exploration documenting Mr. Williams’ past and more recent interactions and fears associated with the ocean: from wave formations in the ocean to the physical inability to swim and the paralysis caused by his fear. His images merge the conflicting emotions aroused by the ocean: alluring and sensual, yet mysterious and at times overwhelming.

In eight large-scale oil paintings and 40 small painted studies, Williams explores the relationship between the natural environment – the ocean – and human emotions. These works express the personal awareness of fear – when one is confronted by the size and mass of water – as well as feelings of uncertainty, as the viewer feels surrounded on all sides by ocean and darkness.

Through Swim, the artist takes the viewer through the psychological and physical steps toward understanding, acknowledging and surrendering to these fears in the hope of overcoming them. Williams, a Georgetown (SC) native, hoped his work would “ignite multi-cultural and multi-generational brainstorming for making positive cultural changes for the future of American youth.”

Regular gallery hours at the Art Museum are from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission to the Art Museum is free at all times but donations are welcomed.