Inglenook Gallery
Announcing WSS's newest art activation—Inglenook Gallery! This small, site-specific gallery featuring four local artists annually is located in the historic fireplace in the school's lobby. This initiative expands creative thinking and allows students to see problem-solving and innovation in action.
The Jaye Williams Product Line for Men
Infomercial
by Ashley Jaye Williams
On View Now through September 14th
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Exhibition Statement
This installation is a sculptural multimedia piece that utilizes an optical illusion. The sculpture was inspired by the transition from the hearth being the epicenter of the American family, and the eventual replacement of this by the television. Marshall McLuhan once wrote that “the medium is the message”. Here I am applying this concept to the modern age that is dominated by social media as the universal “hearth” for humanity. The sculpture visually imitates the ‘familiar’ but in an uncanny valley way; suggesting that what “feels natural” is often the sedating product of its antithesis. The video featured is from my 2024 solo exhibit The Jaye Williams Product Line For Men; and is entitled “The Jaye Williams Product Line For Men Infomercial”.
About the Artist
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Ashley Jaye Williams is a multidisciplinary artist based in Washington, DC since 2008, working in fine art, murals, sculpture, and installations. Their work explores defiance, otherness, and the dissonance of modern life, gender, and technology, creating complex narratives that center marginalized individuals and challenge forced conformity. Williams has created art for Google, Ms. Magazine, and the Women’s March, exhibited at venues like the Phillips Collection and Target Gallery, and received multiple grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Wherewithal Grant, and international recognition from QAIC in Doha. They live and work in Washington, DC, where they maintain a shared studio with their partner, painter Anthony Le.
