Self – Taught Multidisciplinary Contemporary Artist – Independent

Ashley Wilder (b.1989 -) Baltimore, Maryland. Ashley, a multidisciplinary contemporary artist started painting as an emotional outlet to prioritize stillness and selfcare. As she progressed as an artist, she incorporated personal life experiences - from her religious upbringing, motherhood and love for history into each piece.

A true historian, she has blended her affinity of the subject, intentionally focusing on the African diaspora and black cultural experiences. She believes it is her welcomed duty to authentically depict black people as our truest multifaceted selves. Ashley is often asked, why her portraits are void of smiles? To which she responds, “Smiles are often misread and don’t always reflect the smilers true feelings. I choose to paint people that make you stop, feel, and think. That is how you create bonds, memories, and a lasting impression. Art should move you to experience life in the moment.” Her choices of materials range from oil paint to gold leaf to aid in creating texture that allows her work to engulf onlookers. That is the intention of work. In a climate where black history remains under threat of erasure, she continues to bring history old and new into her work.

Notable Work:

December 2022 - The BIT Center

March 2021 - We Make Do//Wit Wat We Got (Exhibition)

2020 – LED Baltimore

June 2020 – Belvedere Square Juneteenth Artist Showcase

March 2017 - Noir Découvert (Solo Exhibition)

2016 – Raw Artist Baltimore, Creative Alliance

2016 – LED Baltimore