About the Artist
Dennis Williams was born in Chattanooga, TN. where he currently resides. He is perhaps better known as “The Hat Man,” because he sports unique and whimsical hats that he changes out daily. Dennis’ story is nothing short of miraculous. He was in a very serious car accident when he was 9 years old, which left him with brain injury and nerve and growth damage to the left side of his body. He was in a twenty-eight-day coma, during which, he was resuscitated three times! After a long recovery, he received intensive rehabilitation to learn to walk and speak again. He was primarily homebound but was eventually able to finish elementary school and graduate from Brainerd High School. He had trouble with employment because of his limited mobility but was determined to persevere and even went through special vocational rehabilitation. He began to volunteer at a nursing home and after learning about his struggles Goodwill Industries sought him out for employment. He became an important spokesperson for Goodwill, doing speaking engagements and appearing in their advertisements. He is now celebrating 35 years of employment through Goodwill! He heard about H*Art Gallery through a co-worker and fellow H*Art artist. He says, “H*Art makes me see that I can do things that I didn’t know I could do…I love the way it makes me feel just coming here…”