Today the Buffalo AKG announced the museum’s Public Art Initiative will work with local artist Bree Gilliam (American, born 2000) for a new mural at Evergreen Health and affiliate Community Access Services’ new location at 3070 Bailey Avenue. Evergreen Health and CAS are building the new comprehensive healthcare center to ensure inclusive and judgment-free health care is accessible to more people in our community, with a long-term goal of eradicating health inequity through unconditional care.
“I am incredibly honored to be a part of this project with Evergreen Health and the Buffalo AKG,” said Gilliam. “My motto is ‘art is power,’ and this mural has the power to inspire hope, joy, and a sense of connection for our community.”
“The Public Art Initiative is proud and delighted to work with Evergreen Health, Community Access Services, and Bree Gilliam to create a vibrant and welcoming space for this new location and the people it will serve,” said Aaron Ott, AKG Curator of Public Art.

About Bree Gilliam

Bree Gilliam is a figurative painter from Buffalo, New York. She is the owner and founder of Paintphoria, Buffalo’s first paint-throwing studio. Gilliam attended SUNY Buffalo State University, where she received a BFA in painting and a minor in art therapy. In her work, she addresses the social issues that plague society. As a young Black woman, she believes that her responsibility is to depict the perspective of marginalized people, give a voice to the voiceless, and empower her
community.
In 2023, Gilliam was selected as an artist-in-residence at Hunt Art Gallery. Her work has been featured in several exhibitions around Western New York. Some of these include a solo exhibition, INSPIRED, at BOX Gallery and Buffalo Arts Studio, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center’s Amid/In WNY 2024, and Burchfield Penney Art Center’s Sharing Our View: 25th Anniversary. She has been commissioned to paint several murals in the Western New York area.
Recently, Gilliam assisted in the creation of a mural with the Buffalo AKG and Eat Off Art on the Jesse E. Nash Medical Center at 608 William Street in Buffalo. In 2023, the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area chose Gilliam to paint her mural entitled Free Your Mind. Gilliam has received more than ten academic awards and scholarships during her time at Buffalo State. These include the Dean’s Award for Excellence in the School of the Arts and Sciences, the Robert C. and Marilyn Wilson Painting Scholarship, and the SUNY Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship