Michael Kelly Williams' mosaics, “The El 2 and The El 5,” draw their imagery from the experience of the elevated train; "the movement, the sound, and the sense of time, and the visual cityscape and lights."

"El 2,” the artist says, "features a snake motif, seen in the track patterns, as well as symbols representing elevated structures and the signal lights in the subway." "El 5," meanwhile, "suggests the movement of elevated trains throughout the city. Light is a major theme of the piece, especially the burst of light that envelops a subway train when it leaves an underground tunnel and becomes elevated. African and Native American influences are integral to the work, as are arch shapes suggested by tunnels and 'els.' Charged with energy, color, and music, reflecting myth and dance, these fulfill my wish to continue the tradition of mosaics in New York City's subway system."

Michael Kelly Williams creates sculptures, works on paper, and prints. His art is inspired by music, literature, nature, and the art of the African diaspora. He draws heavily from the ancient and folk art. Concepts that interest him are spiritual, environmental, equality, justice, and Afrofuturism. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and has a B.F.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College. He also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

Williams has had residencies at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Materials for the Arts in Long Island City, and Wave Hill in the Bronx. He received the first Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Legacy Publishing Fellowship at the Elizabeth Foundation and was awarded a Pollock-Krasner Grant. His work has been exhibited internationally and can be found in several museums and institutions, such as The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York; The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.