Willie Thomas is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist and professional art facilitator working at the intersection of Black identity, queer culture, and community resilience. Raised on the border of Compton and Los Angeles, Will initially turned to art as a vital survival tool to navigate environmental hardships and local gang violence. Today, his practice translates that survival into a bold, 2D animation style that explicitly celebrates Black skin tones, queer narratives, and women. Driven by a spirit of radical resourcefulness, Thomas rejects material limitations by utilizing unconventional mediums and found objects—incorporating acrylics, oil pastels, yarn, sequins, charms, and interactive magnetic canvases.

Thomas actively channels his personal journey back into Southern California's premier cultural institutions and grassroots spaces. He serves as a Contract Art Facilitator for The J. Paul Getty Trust (Getty Center & Getty Villa), a Festival Artist Associate with LA Commons, and an Art Educator in Hawthorne. His community-rooted impact has earned him selection into LACMA’s Teaching Artist Training Series (TATS), a public art banner at the Compton Towne Center, and a major interactive activation for LA Metro and FIFA at Leimert Park Station for the 2026 World Cup. His studio work has been widely exhibited across Los Angeles, including featured showcases at The Compton Museum, DTLA Proud Art Night, and TrapXArt.

Growing up without visible artistic role models made it difficult to envision a career in the arts. By embedding himself directly into public art and education, Thomas aims to be the visible inspiration he once needed—proving to the next generation of queer, Black, and Brown creatives that their narratives definitively belong in contemporary museums.

Will is based in Los Angeles, CA. For business inquiries, feel free to contact him.