The current exhibit at Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) offers a call and response to the work of graduate Peter Williams.

Known for his world-building, nonviolent mythology, strong colors and dark undertones, William’s work is meant to be interacted with and grappled with, according to curator Keisha Williams (no relation to Peter Williams).“Through a chorus of artists’ voices, it’s a symbolic and literal welcome back to MCAD, honoring his dedication to depict the presence and resilience of Black culture,” said K. Williams.

She added, “He uses color to draw people in and then hopefully they stay for the conversation.”Peter Williams, who was born in 1952 and grew up in Nyack, N.Y., lost his right leg in a car accident as a young man and used a wheelchair. He graduated from MCAD in 1975, and then earned his MFA from the Maryland Institute of Art (MICA). He taught for 17 years at Wayne State University and then at the University of Delaware from 2004-2020. He passed away in 2021.

When he took a DNA test, Williams discovered he had White ancestry, likely due to a non-consensual relationship. This furthered complicated his art as he explored police brutality, mass incarceration, oppression, and liberation. His series called “The N-Word” depicts a Black superhero who intervenes in situations of violence enacted on the people of color by police, according to the catalog that accompanies the current MCAD exhibit. His “NABA” body of work envisions an Afrofuturist narrative wherein Black people escape from cycles of oppression by traveling to outer space.

“He needed to get the emotions out there through his paintbrush,” observed K. Williams.

“Peter Williams: Homegoing – A Call and Response” opened on Aug. 22 and closes on Nov. 1, 2025.

The “Homegoing” exhibit includes artwork by those who personally knew Williams (including Twin Cities artists Ta-coumba T. Aiken, MCAD graduate 1974 and Seitu Ken Jones) and those who didn’t. Other artists in the exhibit include Leslie Barlow MFA (MCAD graduate 2016), Sayge Carroll Candice Davis (MCAD graduate 2018) Douglas R. Ewart Russell M. Hamilton, Christopher E. Harrison, Maiya Lea Hartman, Leeya Rose Jackson, Nia-Symonne Lamar Peterson, Bobby Rogers (MCAD graduate 014), seangarrison, and Jovan C. Speller.

They are all artists who have deeply impacted K. Williams, and the exhibit was 2.5 years in the making. “The show has a piece of me in it,” K. Williams stated. A graduate of Hopkins High School, K. Williams went out of state for college, but was drawn back to the Twin Cities. Currently the Director and Curator of MCAD Galleries and Exhibitions, she has also worked at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.

“Homecoming” is organized into three parts: 1) The Colorful, Hard Truth, 2) Speak Up, Document, and Leave a Record, and 3) Ascendance. It includes paintings, photographs, sculpture, song – and includes a space on the second level to sit, read, converse, and reflect.

“The more you look, the more you see in his work,” said K. Williams.A closing performance on Oct. 30 will feature improv jazz musician Douglas R. Ewart, a south Minneapolis resident whose work is also a part of the exhibit.

“If you’ve never been to MCAD, this is the moment to come,” encourages K. Williams.