The Curated Fashion of Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams may be a little different than you’d expect — not the average eccentric, artistic type.

Williams is the newly appointed curator of exhibitions and collections at the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum. She’s worked at the museum for two years as the Art Zone educator and curatorial assistant before recently stepping into her new and vital role.

At 31, Willimas is joyful, yet she is serene. She is sure of herself. And she has a sense of style that clearly works for her.

With the varying hues of painted canvas swirling around her and the intensity of inspiration throbbing from the museum walls, one would expect some artistic influence in style. But how does one surrounded by art decide what to incorporate into their own style?

Of course, there was Salvador Dali. With his waistcoats and twirled mustaches, you knew he was an “artiste” when he walked in the room. Or Frida Kahlo in her brilliantly stitched Mexican motifs.

But not all those involved in the visual arts are necessarily “costumed.” Sometimes a pretty sweater and a pair of slacks pronounce a sense of style that is perfect for the occasion and the job. Williams spends her days educating visitors and preparing exhibitions intended to delight museumgoers from all across North Florida. With this kind of proximity to art in all its guises, one needs to feel comfortable.

Growing up, Ashley Williams loved libraries and poring over museum exhibition catalogs. She went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art history and is now at work on a doctoral dissertation focused on adult play in museums. Pphotography by Alicia Osborne

“Today, I’m wearing something that makes me feel good — a sweater with a floral motif. Flowers appear in a number of pieces I love,” she said, adding there would be floral arrangements throughout her house if it weren’t for a cat who has other plans for petals and leaves.

“The problem is that one day I may be in meetings and another day installing an exhibition. I tend to keep things practical for that reason,” she said. “But I love bright, solid-colored pieces of clothing — just as my eye goes to abstract paintings where color is used to express emotion.”

Williams’ mother, whose parents were deaf, is a trained sign-language instructor. She gravitates toward solid colors, finding that they make for a better background when instructing. Williams said her mother’s solid-color wardrobe has been a “big influence” for her.

Ashley Williams has embraced her mother’s preference for a solid-color wardrobe. Here, she has paired a sleeveless, navy blue jumpsuit with the delicate gold jewelry she loves
and rarely leaves
home without. Photography by Alicia Osborne

Raised in Weeki Wachee, Williams attended a community college before heading to the University of South Florida where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art history. “I was the kid who just loved libraries and looking at museum exhibition catalogs,” she said with a laugh. And she didn’t want to stop. Working in art galleries and as the lead educator at the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa, Williams envisioned a career in museum work and educating the public about the treasures inside.

At this writing, she has completed all of the coursework to achieve her Ph.D. from Florida State University in museum education and visitor-centered curation. She has planned a dissertation that will focus on “adult play in museum settings,” saying that, “Like children at a museum, adults can do it, too.”

“As far as my own style — it is evolving,” Williams said with a smile. Acknowledging that she is “traditional” in her clothing choices, she said that “trendy” styles sometimes give her permission to try things she ordinarily might not. “I bought a pair of hot pink shoes that I now wear all the time!”

But everyone looks forward to a gala, and the Gadsden Museum’s Evening With the Arts reception gave Williams the chance to slip into a sleeveless, navy blue jumpsuit with flared, split legs that she paired with the ever-present delicate gold jewelry she loves.

With her thick, black hair which she does herself, a touch of eyeshadow, the soft scent of Burberry Her, and a very nontraditional glaze of Olive and June’s Forest Green nail polish, Williams shines — whether she’s attending elegant galas or climbing a ladder to hammer a nail for an exhibition install.