Austin Clay Willis
EDUCATION
2025 School of Visual Arts — MFA in Fine Arts
2020 University of Victoria — BFA with Majors in Visual Arts (Honours) and English
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Moving Through Debris — The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, Kelowna, Canada.
2022 Image stills/Image Moves — 4 by 4 on 5th, Vancouver, Canada.
2020 NightLife — The Ou Gallery, Online Exhibition, Duncan, Canada.
2020 Material Affair — Slice of Life Gallery, Vancouver, Canada.
2020 The thing is, this thing is all it is — Ministry of Casual Living, Victoria, Canada.
2019 Curious Constructions — Xchanges, Victoria, Canada.
2019 Predilections of Painting — Arc.hive, Victoria, Canada.
2019 Abstract Windows — The Arts Centre at Cedar Hill, Victoria, Canada.
2019 Frame with 3D shapes — Ministry of Casual Living Window, Victoria, Canada
2018 Big Colour — Fairfield Community Association, Victoria, Canada.
2017 Words, with Pictures — Artavi Collective, Victoria, Canada.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Gesture Towards — SVA Curatorial Program Project Space, New York City, New York.
2019 Tenacity — International Sculpture Center Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award Exhibition. Portland, Oregon.
2019 Scatter— UVic BFA Graduating Exhibition, Victoria, Canada.
2018 Number 9 — Audain Gallery, Victoria, Canada.
2018 Question, Layer, Paint — Intrepid Theatre, Victoria, Canada.
2018 Pineapples, and Other Fruits — 4283 Baylis Pl, Victoria, Canada.
COMMISSIONED PROJECTS
2020 Education — Box Beautification project, San Bruno, California.
2018-2019 Commercial Alley — Selected artist for 2018-2019 Commercial Alley project
public art installation, Victoria, Canada.
2019 Commute — Selected for Bus Shelter Exhibition Project. Victoria, Canada.
2017 Dreamscape — Box Beautification project, Pleasanton, California
2016 Happy Faces — Box Beautification project, Pleasanton, California
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2021 Popps Packing Residency, Hamtramck, USA.
2021 Summer Residency, The Ministry of Casual Living, Victoria, Canada.
2020 The OU-telier Residency, The OU Gallery, Duncan, Canada.
AWARDS & PUBLICATIONS
2021 Interim Publication: As Yet Untitled Issue 02
2020 Canada Council for the Arts—Research and Creation Grant.
2019 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.
2019 University of Victoria—President's Scholarship Award.
2019 Warren Undergraduate Review—10th anniversary issue.
2018 Warren Undergraduate Review—Red Issue, Zine publication.
2018 decideArt— Online forum, Web publication.
2015 East Bay Monthly —Awarded 3rd place in East Bay Monthly Student Art Contest.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
2018 41st and Webster — Mural at 41st and Webster, Oakland, California
2018 Longhouse Legacy Exhibition — Organized and curated media for Pacific Peoples’
Partnership’s digital media exhibition, Victoria, Canada.
2017 Mural Assistant — Assisted artist Shawn Shepherd on Mural Project, Victoria, Canada.
2016 Creative Colour —Selected Youth Artist for Creative Colour Program. Assisted artist
Shawn Shepherd on Mural Project, Victoria, Canada.
2015 Graduation — Mural at Piedmont High School, Piedmont, California
WORK EXPERIENCE & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
2018-2019 Visual Arts Student Association Chair — Undergraduate student-faculty liaison
2019 Explore UVic— Visual Art Student representative at Explore UVic event for prospective Students
2019 Festival Production Assistant — Site set up/tear down, stage management, and media material production for the Victoria Jazz Society’s TD Victoria International Jazz Festival
2018-2019 Design Director — Creative design and layout of The Martlet: The University
of Victoria’s Independent Student Newspaper
2018 & 2017 Multimedia Coordinator — Created and orchestrated various forms of media at
Pacific Peoples’ Partnership