There are artists who create work and there are artists who build language for living. Adrianne Williams is doing both.

Opening May 9 at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre, Because of Her is a solo exhibition that moves beyond presentation into reflection. The exhibition is an exploration of identity, memory, and the quiet, enduring strength of Black womanhood. Running from May 5 to September 5, 2026, the exhibition marks a significant moment in Williams’ evolving practice, one that is as grounded in community as it is in visual storytelling.

But Because of Her is not a beginning. It is a continuation.

For Williams, the title is both a declaration and a grounding truth:

“When I say ‘because of her,’ I’m acknowledging the lineage of Black women who have carried entire worlds on their backs while still finding ways to nurture joy, creativity, and possibility for the rest of us.” - Adrianne Williams

A Practice Beyond the Canvas

Across her work, Williams builds a practice that extends beyond the canvas, her work expands into classrooms, into community spaces, and into shared cultural memory. Her contributions to Caribbean Girlhood with the Island Girls Rock explore identity, resilience, and the tender, complex realities of girlhood across the diaspora.

Through layered textures and intentional storytelling, her work invites viewers to sit with both softness and strength at once: two states that are often treated as opposites, but in her practice, exist together without contradiction.

That same intention carries into her work as illustrator of Roots and Radiance, a community-centered project developed in collaboration with Daraja Press and the United African Diaspora. Designed to reflect and celebrate Calgary’s African community, the project transforms art into an accessible, intergenerational experience, one that invites participation, learning, and connection.

Centering What Matters

If Because of Her honors lineage, Roots and Radiance expands that lens bringing attention to the people, spaces, and everyday contributions that continue to shape community in real time.

As collaborator Prudence Iticka reflects:

“We wanted to create something that celebrates our community here—something future generations can easily access. There are very few initiatives that bring all of us together.” - Prudence Iticka

It is a quiet but intentional shift away from highlighting only the visible and toward documenting what is often overlooked. In doing so, the work resists the urge to flatten stories, choosing instead to hold complexity, nuance, and lived experience with care.

Holding Space, Creating Continuity

At its core, Adrianne Williams’ work is not just about representation. It is about preservation.

It is about creating spaces where Black women and children are seen fully, without apology, without distortion, and without compromise. It is about honoring those who came before while building something tangible for those who come next.

Across every space she enters from the gallery, to the classroom, or within and surrounding community, Williams is building work that does more than exist; it holds.

It holds memory.
It holds identity.
It holds the quiet, often unseen labour that shapes everything.

“We rise because you rose; we shine because you carried the light; we dream because you dared to imagine more.”- Adrianne Williams

Exhibition Details

Exhibition: Because of Her
Artist: Adrianne Williams
Dates: May 5 – September 5, 2026
Opening Reception: May 9, 2026
Time: Doors open at 6:30 PM | Reception 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Art Gallery (Main Floor), Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
Address: 401 First Street SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta
Admission: Free