Write to ashley.eliza.williams at gmail dotcom with inquiries or follow me on Instagram for updates.
Statement
When I was a child, I was extremely shy, and I dreamed of being able to communicate through bioluminescence or by quietly passing information through a network of fungal filaments rather than with spoken words. These desires evolved into a fascination with alternative languages and methods of connection, as well as a deep curiosity about the inner lives of creatures.
Today, I study the sentience and vocabulary of rocks, beetles, clouds, and other beings. In my studio, paintings and sculptures reach toward each other, blush at each other, antagonize each other, flirt with each other, and sometimes sit, shyly, side by side. These relationships reference research into interspecies cooperation, orchid-pollinator interactions, and conversations with living and non-living things. For almost a decade, I’ve been creating a world inhabited by mysterious intelligences, painted in oil and gouache and sculpted from clay, metal, wood, wool, and found materials.
In my newest work, I use the visual language of graphic novels to further explore non-human sensory worlds. Informed by 19th-century zoological illustrations, medieval bestiaries, and my daily color-study practice, I paint the imagined perceptual experiences of specific birds and insects. What does it feel like to be a sparrow in a storm? Do beetles have memories? What colors emerge when the sensory landscapes of different creatures meet? On a planet experiencing rapid biodiversity loss, are we also losing access to other ways of dreaming and communicating with one another? I spend time in the field, learning from scientists and observing organisms in their natural habitats as I seek answers to these questions.
My central goal as an artist is to discover alternative, more vibrant ways of being human and connecting with other creatures.
Bio
Ash Eliza Williams (they/them) grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Southwest Virginia and makes work about interspecies communication and non-human language. They have exhibited widely, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Chautauqua Institute, Kunstmuseum Hersbrück, The New York Hall of Science, Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center, and the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art. Ash often works with scientists, including collaborations and research projects at Shoals Marine Laboratory, The Museum of Comparative Zoology, and McDonald Observatory. Recent residencies include: Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Vermont Studio Center, The Studios at Mass MoCA, and Shangyuan Art Museum, China.
Ash has taught painting, sculpture, color theory, and interspecies collaboration as visiting faculty at Smith College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and the University of Colorado. In 2023 Ash was a Lucille Walton Fellow and resident artist at the University of Virginia Mountain Lake Biological Station. Ash is currently a 2025-2026 artist-in-residence at the Roswell Foundation (RAiR). .
Write to ashley.eliza.williams at gmail dotcom with inquiries or follow me on Instagram for updates.
Representation: K Contemporary Art (Denver, Colorado)
Exhibitions (solo and group)
2026
Bitter Lake, The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, Roswell NM (solo)
Dreams of A Night Beetle, Headstone Gallery, Kingston, NY (solo)
Surface Conditions, collaborative performance with Sarah K Williams and student dancers, Harold J. Mossi Gallery at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA, curated by Tim Stark
Closer, The Empty Circle Gallery, NYC, NY, curated by Alejandro Jassan
Cabinet, collaborative exhibition at The University of Denver, Denver CO, curated by Geoffrey Shamos
2025
Language Without Words, Freyer-Newman Center at The Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver CO
curated by Lisa Eldred, Jen Tobias, and Moira Casey (solo)
Learning from Trees: Artists and Climate Solutions, Sala 1, Rome, Italy, curated by Martina Tanga
The Pond (collaborative work with Meredith Leich and Stephen Vitiello) Harvestworks Digital Media Art Center, Governor’s Island NYC, NY
Dazzle of Darkness, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder CO, curated by Rebecca DiDomenico
Dreams of Small Animals, ArtYard, Frenchtown NJ (solo)
Hello Friend, University of Colorado Museum of Art, Boulder CO, curated by Hope Saska
2024
New Growth, The University of Virginia Ruffin Gallery, Charlottesville VA curated by Sarah Irvin and
Tracey Stonestreet
Futuring Lab, Umass Amherst Design Building Gallery, Amherst MA, curated by Sandy Litchfield and
Kelly Feeney
The History of Moonlight, Headstone Gallery, Kingston NY (solo)
Wonder and Awe, Chautauqua Institute, Chautauqua NY, curated by Erika Diamond (solo)
2023
Breakthroughs, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver CO, curated by Leilani Lynch
Smith College Faculty Show, Northampton MA
Rocks, Squids, Clouds and Other Beings, Pulp Holyoke, Holyoke MA (solo)
Silent Spring, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain CT
Hyperlink and TSA Chicago, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Denver CO
2022
Primordial Field Notes, K Contemporary project space, Denver CO (solo)
Urgent Beings, Headstone, Kingston NY (solo)
Communication Attempts, Wasserman Projects Project Space, Detroit MI, curated by Alison Wong
On The Edge, University of New Hampshire Museum of Art, Durham NH
BLOOM, Robertson Ares Gallery, Montreal, Quebec Canada, curated by Derrick Valesquez
Infinity and Beyond, Friend of A Friend Gallery, Denver CO, curated by Derrick Velasquez
Biophilia, University of Minnesota, Morris MN, curated by Jessica Larson
2021
Ocean Body, Wasserman Projects, Detroit MI, curated by Alison Wong
Extended Techniques, Performative Lecture with Sprechgesang Institute, Five Myles, Brooklyn NY
High Beams, Installation with Hyperlink Collective, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance CA
Echolalia, Two person show with Sarah Williams, Corridor Gallery, North Adams MA
As of Now IV, K Contemporary Art, Denver CO
2020
The Museum of Future Ecology, K Contemporary Art, Denver CO (solo)
Last Library (group installation with Mary Mattingly) The University of Colorado Art Museum, Denver CO
Perfect Fruit (with Sprechgesang Institute), Recess Gallery Brooklyn, NY
Miniature solo show, Shelter in Place Gallery, Boston MA (solo)
Vermont Studio Center Alumni Show While You Were Out, Red Mill Gallery, Johnson VT
As of Now III, K Contemporary Art Denver CO
Rock, Paper Scissors (remote zoom exhibition and performance) Brooklyn, NY
2019
How to Move Between Worlds, Breckenridge Creative Arts, Breckenridge CO (solo)
Courses, Sprechgesang Institute Block Gallery, Bronx Museum project space, NYC, NY
The Unbearable Impermanence of Things, The University of Denver, Denver CO
Fan Mail, RedLine Gallery, Denver CO
Communication Attempts, K Contemporary Art, Denver CO (solo project space)
Selected Residencies, Awards, and Fellowships
2024-2025. Artist-In-Residence at Roswell Artist in Residence Program (RAiR Foundation)
2023 Lucille Walton Fellow, University of Virginia Mountain Lake Biological Station
2022. Massachusetts Cultural Council fellowship grant recipient
2022. Nominated for the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (SARF)
2022. Puffin Foundation Environmental Arts Grant
2022. Artist-In-Residence at Shoals Marine Laboratory, Appledore Island ME
2022. Mass MoCA Studios residency (Full Fellowship)
2022. Future Art Award grant and special mention (Ecosystem X)
2021. Sitka Center for Art and Ecology residency (Full Fellowship)
2021. Walkaway House residency
2021. Millay Arts – Full Fellowship and residency
2020. Martha Boschen Porter Fund Grant
2020. MASS MoCA Assets for Artists Project Grant
2019. MASS MoCA Assets for Artists Project Grant
2017-2018. MASS MoCA A4A North Adams Project participant, North Adams MA
2017. Swan Art and Writing Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson VT
2017. Artist-in-Residence at The Shangyuan Art Museum International Residency, Beijing China
2017. Artist-in-Residence at Alte Schule Hohenstein, Hohenstein Germany
2017. Artist-in-Residence at Compeung Residency, Doi Saket Thailand
2016. Artist-in-Residence at Anderson Ranch, Snowmass CO
2015-2016. Artist-in-Residence at RedLine, Denver, CO