brea’ williams (b. 2004, baltimore, md) is an interdisciplinary artist working across painting, photography, and mixed media. receiving her bfa in general fine arts at the maryland institute college of art in 2026, her practice explores the fragile, shifting nature of memory and the liminal space between child and adult. through layered mark making, collage, writing and experimental material play, she reconstructs moments that have faded, creating imagery grounded not in accuracy, but in emotional truth. 

central to brea’s work is aya, a figure inspired by her younger self and derived from her middle name ayanna. aya appears throughout her practice as a guide, helping her rebuild lost memory, reconnect with intuition, and resist the pressures of conformity, discipline and perfection. 

her work has been exhibited in the 2025 juried undergraduate exhibition at mica’s decker gallery, where she received a merit award. She’s also exhibited at a place to take up space: dismantled (2025), draft a.r.t. (2025), dog ear (2024), and the 2023 juried undergraduate exhibition. she has received national recognition from youngarts, the scholastic art & writing awards, and act-so.

rooted in personal history and guided by evolving self-recovery, brea’ williams’ practice is a continual process of rebuilding, piecing together memory, identity, and the visual traces of who we once were and who we hope to become.