About This Event
Artist Talk: Auguster D Williams Jr: A Solo Exhibition of Resilience, Healing, and Transformation
ARTfactory, 9419 Battle St, Manassas, VA
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 11, 2026, 2-4 PM
Join mixed-media collage artist and U.S. Navy veteran Auguster D. Williams Jr. for an intimate artist talk exploring the personal and creative journey behind their solo exhibition at ARTfactory.
Exhibition programming sponsored by UVA Health.
In this solo exhibition, mixed-media collage artist Auguster D Williams Jr presents a compelling body of two- and three-dimensional works created from discarded and salvaged materials. Drawing from wood, glass, cardboard, metal, plastic, and textiles—often recovered from dumpsters or curbside castoffs, the exhibition explores themes of resilience, healing, and transformation through richly layered, evocative compositions.
Rooted in sustainability and personal renewal, Williams’s practice reimagines overlooked materials into cohesive works that blur the boundaries between fine art and functional design. Mirrors, room dividers, connectors, and windmills appear alongside wall-based collages, challenging traditional notions of utility while emphasizing the poetic potential of reuse.
The artist’s creative journey began in 2017 while participating in art therapy through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ substance abuse and mental health program. A U.S. Navy veteran living with PTSD, Williams discovered art as both a therapeutic outlet and a powerful form of self-expression. In 2018, the collage Love (Thyself) and Resilience received First Place in its category at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival—an achievement that marked a pivotal moment and solidified a lifelong commitment to artistic practice.
Since then, Williams has exhibited work in Washington, D.C. and New York, continuing to expand a portfolio that centers on repurposing—not only of physical materials, but of personal identity. Often describing themselves as a “repurposed human being,” the artist transforms what was once discarded into objects of meaning and beauty, offering a broader reflection on recovery and the resilience of the human spirit.
Williams’s solo exhibit ultimately encourages audiences to recognize beauty in the unexpected and to consider creative engagement as a powerful path toward wellness, connection, and community.
Press Inquiries:
Jordan Exum, Gallery Director
ARTfactory | Caton Merchant Gallery
703.330.2787 | jexum@virginiaARTfactory.org
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