Artist Statement

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This multidisciplinary artist expands her practice through color theory, exploration of materials and process, and a desire to impact the world with visual messaging that transform how we think, feel, and understand one another and life. 

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A native Detroiter and former student at the prestigious College for Creative Studies, Renee uses color theory, materials, and composition to create visually-stunning 2D and 3D works. She is inspired by Mark Rothko and African-American abstract art pioneers like Norman Lewis and Alvin Weathersby.

 

Beyond the abstract, her works provide unique insights on identity, family, anthropology, social justice, and community.

 

Her practice seeks to express the complexity of her experiences. It adds to the ongoing conversation about race-mixing and social responses which can be both destructive and empowering.

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Personal Background

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She was born Renee Michelle Williams in Detroit, Michigan on February 9, 1971. She was born to Jesse and Joan Williams, a bi-racial couple who married the year of the Detroit riots and resided just blocks away from the epicenter.

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Renee spent most of her adult life serving underserved communities on Detroit's east side, Philadelphia's west side, and Chicago's Cabrini Green. She came to understand the impact of poverty on African American individuals and families as she dedicated herself to demonstrating empathy by living in the neighborhoods she served and working with organizations that focused on engagement and empowerment for those in the community.

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For over 30 years, Renee has taught and inspired many to live with persistence, passion, and purpose. Her messages addressed ways to overcome adversity and dysfunction and provided instruction for personal empowerment. She used her creativity to teach dance and drama as a means of helping children, teens, and adults to work through trauma and pain.

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She believes that “travel is a window into the soul of culture and culture is a window into the soul of human beings” and has traveled extensively.

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Renee has been influenced by the work of Tamara Natalie Madden and her way of using symbolism such as the bird in her work to share her hopes for herself and her community. She identifies with her painful journey and her inner strength to create beauty out of the ashes of her life. 

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Biggs has battled illness most of her adult life. She presses beyond her pain into what she calls "the anesthesia of art", entering into a dreamscape of creativity.   

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