Ava Breighner

About the Artist

Ava Breighner is a multidisciplinary artist based in Western Maryland. She holds a BFA in Art & Design from Frostburg State University (Summa Cum Laude, 2026), with concentrations in painting and photography and minors in Art History and Theatre, and spent a year studying abroad at Northumbria University in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, where her work was featured in a student cohort exhibition at Gallery North. Breighner's work has been exhibited regionally, including a debut solo exhibition at the Bev Walker Gallery, the "Lumina" Senior BFA Exhibition, and group exhibitions at the C. William Gilchrist Museum of the Arts. She also serves as co-chair of the C. William Gilchrist Museum's Artistic Committee. Trained in theatre as well as visual art, Breighner has worked as a performer and designer with Frostburg State University's Theatre Program and the Cumberland Theatre. Her practice is rooted in portraiture, and she continues to research the art history of Western Maryland, building on work conducted in partnership with the Delaplaine Arts Center. Her work and research are grounded in the cultural identity of Western Maryland and the Appalachian region, and she is committed to documenting and elevating the area's artistic history within the broader story of Maryland's visual arts.