Michael Williams, assistant professor of sculpture, has made Nicholls his home after traveling across the continent over the years.

Williams was born and raised in Virginia, moved to Fairbanks, Alaska as an undergraduate student and received his master’s degree in sculpture at Louisiana State University. He visits his family in Virginia often and spends his summers in Alaska.

“I turned 28 in my freshman semester in college,” he said. “I went to community college for one year out of high school. It was like 13th grade, so I said, ‘to heck with it’ and went off doing carpentry work. “

Williams is a carpenter by trade and, for several years, he built custom houses on the East Coast for his friend’s father.

“I got into that and then decided I wanted to go to school for the educational part of it,” he said. “I continued working as a carpenter while going to school.”

Williams then moved to Fairbanks, Alaska and got his undergraduate degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Although he took an interest in art at a young age, Williams said that he did not always think he would have the job that he has today.

“I enjoyed art all throughout high school, and I really wanted to go to school to study art,” he said. “I was the baby of seven children, and I didn’t come from a very wealthy family, so going to college was somewhat of an abstract idea—much less going to art school.”

After moving to Alaska for school, Williams began to rediscover his love for art.

“I took my general courses, and then in my second semester, I took an art elective because I thought it would be great to take an art course,” he said. “From that first class, it just kind of came from my toes, you know? This was the direction that I was supposed to be in.”

After receiving his undergraduate degree in sculpture, Williams went on to earn his master’s degree at LSU.

“My ceramics professor in Alaska got his master’s at LSU, and I actually did one year of my undergrad at LSU as a national exchange student,” he said. “When it came time to apply for graduate school, I applied to six different schools. I got into Minneapolis and LSU.”

Williams said that LSU was a better deal, so he decided to move to Louisiana. He said that he enjoyed his interaction with people while in school, which made teaching an option for him.

“I coached swim team right out of high school and taught a lot of people how to rock climb,” he said. “I enjoy sharing knowledge and giving instruction.”

Williams was also a teacher’s assistant while in graduate school, and when he earned his master’s, he was a technician for LSU’s art department, maintaining and building equipment for them. Soon after, he found his way to Nicholls, where he has been teaching ever since.

“Our student population is not tremendous, so it is nice to have that one-on-one time with students,” he said. “I could not ask for a better group of people to work with than the faculty here in the Art Department.”

Although he is now a sculpture instructor, Williams said that he often uses his carpentry skills in his work.

“Sculpture as a medium is very demanding,” he said. “It is very tool, technique and material specific. I think that—not to discredit any other areas of art—when you’re in sculpture, you are expected to know how to do a little bit of everything.”

Williams said that his favorite part about his job is teaching students.

“I love sharing knowledge,” he said. “I get to work with my students in the woodshop and show them welding techniques.”

Williams said that when he sees his students use skills that he taught them, it makes him really proud.

“Nothing makes me happier than to have a young lady come into my class after never being in a woodshop, and towards the end of one of our projects, she tells me that her father let her into his woodshop for the first time, and she knew her way around as far as terminology and what tools to use,” he said.

Williams said that he loves his job and cannot see himself doing anything else.

“I think teaching is something that I would like to do forever,” he said. “I’m here for good as far as I can see for now.”