Art That Refuses Silence: Bri Brett 2026 Magic Muse
Some artists create beauty. Others create meaning. Bri Brett creates space — for truth, for grief, for connection, and for women to be seen and heard. Named the 2026 JSP Women’s Awards Magic Muse, Bri embodies creativity not as performance, but as purpose. Through visual art, music, teaching and community advocacy, she transforms deeply personal experiences into shared sites of healing, reminding women that they are not alone — and never silenced.
“I have always loved creating and used art as a means of expression and connection,” Bri shares. “Art has been a means of processing and sharing especially difficult experiences that I don’t have the words for.” This belief sits at the heart of everything she creates. Her exhibition Wisdom Teeth intentionally opened conversations around subjects often hidden behind shame or silence — domestic violence, miscarriage, body dysmorphia and chronic illness. “My exhibition aimed to create lasting conversations,” she says, “especially around the experiences women are often expected to carry quietly.”
From that exhibition, Bri’s creative work evolved again. Through ethical taxidermy and memorial art, she found new ways to connect with women navigating loss — not just pregnancy loss, but grief in all its forms. “I have used my taxidermy work to connect with women in our community who have known loss,” she explains. “Through raffling pieces for Red Nose, connecting at the SANDs Walk to Remember, and creating memorial pieces, I’ve built a strong community that allows for dialogue around loss.”
For Bri, empowerment is not performative — it is deeply personal and intentionally shared. “Empowerment means respecting your own needs, rights and desires and encouraging others to do the same,” she says. “Being empowered to me is being myself wholeheartedly — feeling what I need to feel, processing how I need to — and supporting others to live authentically through sharing stories and experiences.” This philosophy flows through her business Spellbound & Stardust, where she creates affordable, sustainable art using ethically sourced materials and repurposed thrifted frames, all while working full-time as a high school teacher. Her approach quietly challenges consumer culture and models a compassionate, values-driven creative practice.
As an educator, Bri is deeply aware of how vital voice and validation are for young women. “I hope I can inspire the next generation by showing them that sharing and opening up does not create weakness, but fosters community, understanding and opportunity,” she says. “As women, we’re often silenced and expected to sit in grief, trauma and pain — or we’re labelled hysterical.” Many young people engaged with Wisdom Teeth and with her art, sharing stories and perspectives within the safe spaces Bri intentionally created. “I hope I have given a voice to the next generation,” she adds.
Bri’s creativity does not exist in isolation. She is a fierce advocate for collaboration, particularly among women artists. “I am a fierce supporter of women and artists collaborating, sharing and encouraging,” she explains. Through exhibitions, shared studio spaces, collectives and markets, she consistently creates opportunities for others. In one instance, a young local musician was given a paid performance opportunity through Bri’s exhibition — a moment that helped propel their creative journey forward. Her commitment to lifting others is woven into her practice, not treated as an add-on.
One of the most powerful moments of Bri’s journey came unexpectedly while she was volunteering at a SANDs Walk to Remember, donating her time through music and sharing her art. “A member of the public came past my stall,” Bri recalls. “They didn’t know what the walk was about. They were in their 60s and had never seen an event like this before.” When Bri gently explained the purpose of the walk, the woman began to cry. She shared that she had miscarried as a young woman and had never told anyone — until that moment. “She told me yellow butterflies were her symbol of her lost baby,” Bri says. “I gave her the piece to cherish.” Days later, the woman messaged Bri to show where the artwork sat in her home, a visible marker of grief finally honoured. “They weren’t tears of pain,” Bri reflects. “They were relief, connection and understanding.”
Bri speaks with honesty about the challenges she has faced — surviving six years in a domestically violent relationship, homelessness, cancer, multiple miscarriages, and ongoing chronic illness. “It was the most difficult years of my life,” she says, “but I knew I deserved better. I was a fighter.” She is equally honest about healing. “Healing isn’t linear,” she explains. “There will always be hard days, but I don’t let them consume me. I’m kind and patient with myself.”
Her art has not always been understood. Some have labelled it confronting or even “disgusting,” yet Bri remains grounded in its purpose. “Sometimes people will allow themselves to be educated,” she says, “and those conversations foster meaningful dialogue and connection.” She does not shy away from difficult topics; instead, she brings light to them — making the uncomfortable accessible and the hidden visible.
As the 2026 Magic Muse, Bri hopes to leave a legacy not of perfection, but of permission. “Any type of expression is better than silence,” she says. “If I can inspire anyone to create, share or express parts of themselves that would otherwise be concealed, then I am proud.” Her message to women is clear and unwavering:
“We will not be silenced. We will be heard — even if our voices shake. Even if we can only have a voice through art.”
And the future she hopes to help shape is one where women are free to be wholly themselves. “I hope to encourage future generations of women to be wholeheartedly themselves,” Bri says, “to share and connect — because that is the only way to navigate the icky parts of life.”