ASHLEY JAYE WILLIAMS

Bio

Ashley Jaye Williams is a multidisciplinary artist who has been working and living in Washington, DC since 2008. They work primarily with fine art, murals, sculpture and art installations, but also have experience in traditional animation, fashion, performance art, video, and printmaking. Williams has created art for Google, the Women’s March, DC Public Schools, Commission for the Arts & Humanities, Broccoli City music festival, the Annual Roots Picnic, Long Live Go-Go, The Rounds, District Department of Transportation, DC Vote, Made in NYC, WeWork, QAIC, Halcyon, the Waldorf Astoria, NextFest DC, Arena Arts Social Club, PUSH Empowered Pregnancy, Songbyrd, the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, and Culture House. In 2020, Williams was commissioned by Ms. Magazine to create a painting for the cover of their 50th anniversary issue. They have created live paintings and their artwork has been featured on multiple covers of the Washington City Paper. The artist has exhibited work at Homme Gallery, the Phillips Collection, Target Gallery at Torpedo Factory, Gallery Y at YMCA Anthony Bowen and Tiny Art Gallery NYC. They have shown in group exhibitions curated by Monochrome Collective, Latela Curatorial, Petworth Arts Collaborative, Fitsum Shebeshe, VisArts Center and No Kings Collective. Their work is part of Transformer’s Flat File. Williams is also the recipient of a Wherewithal Grant from the Washington Project for the Arts with funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. They have received grant funding from the Commission of Arts and Humanities in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and were a finalist for the CAH Art Bank. They created a live painting for Vote DC’s annual gala in 2022. In Fall 2022, Williams was commissioned to create a 900 square foot painted textile installation by PUSH Empowered Pregnancy that was installed on the National Mall in Washington, DC. In 2022 they were also chosen by the Qatar America Institute for Culture as an artist delegate by QAIC in Doha Qatar and visited Beijing, China in 2008 as a fine art international scholarship recipient.

Currently the artist lives and works in Washington, DC where they share a studio with their partner and fellow painter Anthony Le, and Ashley is also an active member of the Washington Sculptors Group since 2022.

Artist Statement

The artist explores defiance and otherness resulting from the dissonance of modern life, gender, and technology. They create complex narratives that expand and explore individuals who have been marginalized by society. Their work challenges the conflict that arises when one is forced to conform to false, technologically influenced versions of themselves. The artist’s work constructs alternative realities that go beyond societal limitations and reject the objectification they have experienced as a femme presenting person. Instead, they reimagine objectification as a means to disarm the patriarchy.

RESUME

GRANTS / AWARDS
2023      Commission on the Arts & Humanities Fellowship grant, Washington, DC
2022      Commission on the Arts & Humanities Relief & Recovery grant, Washington, DC
2022      Commission on the Arts & Humanities Fellowship grant, Washington, DC
2022      Commission on the Arts & Humanities Color the Curb program mural grant, Washington, DC
2022      Artist Delegate for Qatar America Institute for Culture, Doha, Qatar
2021      Commission on the Arts & Humanities Fellowship grant, Washington, DC
2021      Commission on the Arts & Humanities Art Bank Finalist, Washington, DC
2020      Washington Project for the Arts Wherewithal Grant, partially funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Washington, DC
2020      Commission on the Arts & Humanities Relief & Recovery Grant, Washington, DC
2008      Fine Art International Scholarship Recipient Montgomery College, Beijing, China

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2023, National Gallery of Art live-painted mural – mural painting on moveable wall for September 14^th NGA Late Night Block Party celebrating the 5oth anniversary of Hip Hop
2023, Disco Mary mural – Two coinciding rooftop murals for Selina Hotel in Union Market, 411 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC
2023, Willard Intercontinental Hotel painting commission – Painting commission on 8 paneled mural sections in Washington, DC
2022, Vote DC annual gala live painting – Commissioned for their permanent art collection in Washington, DC
2022, PUSH Empowered Pregnancy Org art installation – 900 square foot textile mural art installation exhibited on the National Mall in Washington, DC
2022, NextFest mural – live mural painting & wheat paste for annual NextFest outdoor music festival in Washington, DC
2022, Vote DC Ben’s Chili Bowl live painting– Commissioned as part of Art All Night for the Vote DC permanent art collection, Washington, DC
2022, The Rounds print collaboration – created custom designed and hand printed special edition Pride X 2022 tote bags, Washington, DC
2022, CAH Drew Elementary mural – Funded by the Commission of Arts & Humanities, DDOT, and DCPS, Washington DC
2022, Jyoti Restaurant mural – three interior murals created for an Indian restaurant, Washington, DC
2022, Google mural – interior mural creating an optical illusion with text and company motto, Washington, DC
2021, Union Market Disco DC mural – interior & exterior murals for pop up exhibition space, Washington, DC
2021, Ms. Magazine 50^th Anniversary cover commission – painting commissioned for the cover of the 50^th Anniversary, Spring 2021 Issue
2021, Qatar America Institute of Culture mural – Interior murals for QAIC headquarters, Washington, DC
2021, Women’s March mural – exterior mural commemorating the 2017 Women’s March, Washington, DC
2021, Long Live Go-Go mural – live mural painting for 51 For 51 event at Howard Theater, Washington, DC
2021, Washington City Paper cover commission – cover illustration created for the Fall Arts Guide Issue
2021, NextFest mural – live mural painting & wheat paste for outdoor music festival, Washington, DC
2020, 51 For 51 illustration commission – illustration commissioned by 51 For 51 to support DC statehood
2020, Songbyrd mural – exterior mural, Washington, DC
2020, Washington City Paper cover commission – cover illustration for the October Election Issue
2020, Washington City Paper editorial commission – editorial illustration created for the August Issue
2020, Hart’s Desires art installation – enamel window painting and 3D multimedia art installation, Washington, DC
2020, Essential Workers mural – exterior mural for private residence, Washington, DC
2019, Spring Valley mural – exterior mural for the Spring Valley shopping center play area, Washington, DC
2019, Washington City Paper Crafty Festival mural – live mural painting for outdoor arts festival, Washington, DC
2019, Broccoli City Festival art installation – custom textile installation art piece for outdoor music festival, Washington, DC
2019, Roots Picnic art installation – custom vinyl floor art installation for arcade tent at outdoor music festival, Philadelphia, PA
2017, Culture House mural – interior wall & floor murals for Superfierce art exhibition, Washington, DC
2016-2017, Maggie O’Neill Fine Art, Painting Assistant – Dealt with development, execution & completion of commissioned artworks for residential + corporate clients, Washington, DC
2015-2017, Swatchroom Art + Design + Fabrication Firm – Fabricator & In-House Artist, designed, created & installed custom fabricated artworks and design pieces for clients, Washington, DC 

EXHIBITIONS

2023     Group Exhibition, “Love is Destructive./I Love You.”, curated by Kamryn Dillon, The Stamp Gallery at the University of Maryland, 1220 Stamp Student Union, College Park, MD
2023     Group Exhibition,“2023 Queer Art Salon” curated by Ashley Jaye Williams, 411 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC
2023     Group Exhibition, “Waves of Joy” curated by Beth Ferraro (The Art Island), Gallery Y at the YMCA Anthony Bowen, Washington, DC
2022     Duo Exhibition, “Summer Daydream” with artist Anthony Le, Legacy Gallery, Washington, DC
2022     Group Exhibition, “Reframing Recovery”, curated by Marta Staudinger, VisArts Center, Rockville, MD 
2022     Group Exhibition, “Sculpture NOW 2022”, curated by Fitsum Shebeshe and presented by Washington Sculptors Group, Harmony Hall Arts Center, Fort Washington, MD
2022     Group Exhibition, “Sweet Tooth”, Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA
2021     Performance Art Piece, The Model Mutiny live printing performance, The Disco DC, 1302 Fourth Street NE, Washington, DC
2021     Group Exhibition, “Umbrella II”, curated by No Kings Collective, Washington, DC 
2021     Solo Exhibition, “Green Haired Woman”, Homme Gallery, 52 O Street NW, Washington, DC
2021     Group Exhibition, “Bid to Fight Covid II” auction, curated by Maxwell Young, Washington, DC 
2020     Group Exhibition, “Torch/Leave/Repeat”, Tiny Art Gallery, 46 W 46th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY
2020     Group Exhibition, “By The People x Monochrome Collective”, curated by Nina O’Neil (Monochrome Collective), Halcyon Online Gallery 
2019      Group Exhibition, “Umbrella I”, curated by No Kings Collective, Washington, DC 
2019      Duo Exhibition, with painter Anthony Le, curated by Petworth Arts Collaborative, Washington, DC 
2016      Group Exhibition, “Phillips Collection: After Hours”, The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street NW, Washington, DC