Senon Williams' SCRAPYARD — A Book Launch Celebration!

In collaboration with Hat & Beard Press, The Philosophical Research Society is proud to celebrate the release of musician (including Radar Bros. and Dengue Fever), visual artist, poet and PRS 2025 Contributing Artist Senon Williams' SCRAPYARD! For this very special evening, Senon will discuss and read from the new book, alongside readings from contributors Richelle Munkhoff and Beth Ann Whittaker of Plain Sight Archive.

Descended from survivors of enslavement and the Holocaust, Williams is an artist whose practice is a response to scarcity and loss with a deep commitment to preservation. He is drawn to the physical scraps of life—and the layering of those scraps into a larger tapestry—and believes that these objects have souls. Assembling found pieces, large and small, sometimes literally from yards or the street, Williams collects unwanted things, used things, to create anew. A blending of the objects’ inner character with his own vision into an assemblage, not only of the physical but also of the spirit.

Williams' new book, SCRAPYARD, forms a graveyard or a scrapyard of items one might typically discard. In our time of extreme wastefulness, assembling the detritus from his artmaking into a scrapbook gives each of these items a collective home and value. Gathered from his day-to-day studio practice, they are thoughts jotted down, remnants of materials used, random receipts, which suggest a sense of care, like acts of preservation, mending and repurposing. Each piece is held, suspended from its final dissolution, forming a new place in which to exist.

Interspersed within are vignettes looking at the histories of scrapbooking and ephemeral collection over time by Richelle Munkhoff and Beth Ann Whittaker of Plain Sight Archive. There is a long legacy and history of this artistic action and this publication represents now another documentation of time and place.

Join us for this very special evening in PRS's historic library!

Please email [email protected] or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

SENON WILLIAMS

Senon Williams is a lifelong visual artist and musician, and a Los Angeles native. Ranging in media from paintings on paper and canvas, to wood sculpture and assemblage. Senon explores poignant visualization of the inherent human struggle both ancient and contemporary. He finds space in the natural world, exposing stages of human evolution. His love of language play, sounds, textures, and associations of word and object often explore the triumphs and conflicts inherent in identity, history, and community. Senon’s search for truth leaves him amazed and baffled. Creating art is his meditation on meaning, or no meaning in the face of our turbulent existence. We are invited to support or defy multiple conclusions, how do we help and how do we hurt?

The written word and poetry is a consistent part of his practice. He has published four books: Hunted & Gathered (2017, Hamilton Press), Words Don’t Mean Much (Hat & Beard Press, 2021), Rituals (Lauren Powell Projects/Keep or Gift After Purchase, 2023) and Scrapyard (Hat & Beard Press, 2025), as well as multiple zines.

Senon’s work has been shown at Five Car Garage (LA), The Hole NYC (LA), Rusha & Co. (LA), PRJCTLA (LA), The Lodge (LA), Auxiliary Projects (NYC), Beyond The Streets, Southampton Arts Center (NY), FT Gallery (Phnom Penh), amongst many others.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER: The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed by the presenters are solely those of the presenter and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Presentations are intended for informational and entertainment purposes.

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