Ashley Rivers | The Nature of Fire | is a Contemporary Multidisciplinary Artist living in Gulfport, Florida.

She is primarily focused on creating unique works of art through inspiration from the earth, nature, our identities, and transformation. With a background in sculpture and painting, her work is centered around finding beauty and acceptance within imperfections, and experimenting and connecting her work to the real world. Her contemporary style explores themes of wellness, reflection, healing, forgiveness, and the strength of the human spirit.

Ashley Rivers received her Bachelors of Fine Arts, with a concentration in Sculpture, from the University of South Florida. Since then, she has been creating art utilizing multiple mediums and techniques. Ashley spent the majority of her life growing up in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida, and has worked hard to become an active member of the Arts Community. She is a mixed-raced, female artist who gravitates towards issues regarding the natural world, and the mind and body. Her work cultivates a range of mixed mediums and imagery, and aims to embrace strength, wellness, and thoughtfulness.

Ashley Rivers has participated in, and curated, numerous exhibitions and large projects within Florida and the Tampa Bay Area. She has received several awards and grants including the 2021 St. Petersburg Arts Alliance Individual Artist Grant, the 2022 Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Grant, and she was the first recipient of the 2022 Senator Darryl Rouson Artist Grant. She has had artworks exhibited at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center in Miami during 2022 Art BASEL, won the 2023 Gasparilla of the Arts Emerging Artist Award, and won the 2023 Halo Arts Project Fellowship.

Currently working under a Master Sculptor and Public Artist: Mark Aeling, Ashley has begun branching out into the public art world as well- helping creating monumental designs and artworks for cities and municipalities, as well as private development firms all over the world. She has learned the value of research and community engagement sessions to see firsthand the goals, missions, and needs of the projects and the environments they will serve.