Cohorts I — VII Alumni

  • A young woman with two-tone hair, black on one side and blonde on the other, wearing a sleeveless argyle sweater vest, earrings, and necklaces, posing against a dark background.

    Helen Beckley-Forest

    Hi everyone! I’m Helen I graduated as a painting major last year, but my current focus is experimenting with different materials like canvas…

  • A young woman with shoulder-length purple and pink hair, tattoos on her arms and chest, wearing a white tank top, posing with her arms crossed against a plain white background.

    Camille Buscemi

    Hello everyone! My name is Camille Buscemi! I am a local artist here in Buffalo! I've been creating art since I can remember, and some of…

  • Young woman with glasses and dark hair standing outdoors among green foliage, wearing a sleeveless blue dress.

    Akasya Crosier

    My name is Akasya, she/her. I am a digital artist and mixed media painter based here in Buffalo, NY. As a visual artist born to paint nature but forced to make…

  • A woman with short brown hair, wearing glasses and a light-colored satin camisole, standing in front of a wall with peeling paint and several large portrait paintings.

    Laike Palermo

    My name is Laike , pronounced Lake. I'm an oil painter from Oswrgo NY, living in Buffalo NY. My work has always been a study..

  • Person with curly hair holding a face mask with a distorted face on it, making a humorous expression.

    Soda

    Howdy! I’m Soda. They/He. I’m a polynesian queer artist originally from Texas. I do a mixture of oil painting, sculpture, and performance work…

  • Young woman with short brown hair smiling while holding a colorful painting of a woman with short black hair, surrounded by illustrations of birds, flowers, and a yellow theme.

    Sky Vance

    Hi! I’m Sky! I’m an oil painter living in Buffalo. I make work that attempts to explore internet micro-niches, human connections to climate change…

  • Portrait of a young person with long dreadlocks, wearing a white shirt, layered chains, and a fur-lined jacket against a neutral background.

    Emeka Wajed

    Hey there everyone my name is Emeka and I go by “Mek” In short I am a multifaceted creative obsessed with constant exploration and experimentation…

  • Portrait of a young man with long dreadlocks, dressed in a colorful plaid shirt, against a dark background.

    Paulie!

    I’ve always heard of the persistent stigma that plagues my community: that Christianity doesn’t belong in the Black Culture. Much resentment…

  • A woman with fair skin, blue makeup, red lipstick, and large black earrings is sitting in front of a wooden wall. She is partially obscured by green houseplants she is holding.

    Cecilia Beavers

    Cecilia Beavers is a 26 year old artist based in Buffalo, New York. She enjoys creating large mixed media and oil paint pieces. She loves exploring surreal…

  • A young woman with curly hair and glasses smiling at the camera, wearing a dark gray sweatshirt with a flower graphic and partly visible text.

    Emma Brittain

    Emma Brittain is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the intricate tapestry of identity through cultural connections…

  • Young woman with shoulder-length light brown hair with pink tips, wearing a black sleeveless top and purple heart-shaped earrings, smiling in front of a colorful, abstract watercolor background.

    Emma Stanton

    Buffalo based painter, Emma Stanton, has been most recently using art as a vehicle for play. She is currently a Resident…

  • A smiling young man with curly brown hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a denim jacket and a white T-shirt with bold text, standing against a plain white background.

    Mojo Banjo

    Mojo Banjo is an emerging dark fantasy artist, who utilizes both traditional and digital mediums. Inspired by filmaking, old-school…

  • A young man with brown hair, a beard, and wearing a dark gray shirt looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression against a dark, blurred background.

    Robert Rusch

    I am an artist working in Buffalo, New York. I received my BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016. I am part of the first cohort of…

  • A young woman with long blonde hair and makeup, sitting on a bed, holding a plush bunny toy, wearing a lace dress and stockings, with tattoos visible on her legs and arms.

    Wavy

    I prefer not to restrict myself to any certain set of rules when it comes to creation. By proclaiming that I am an artist who does this and works in…

  • Portrait of a young woman with long blonde hair and glasses, standing in front of a colorful, abstract art background.

    Angela Guest

    My process for my body of work is motivated by a contemplation of what my own life is and what it will become. The choice to use thread and fabric in my artistic…

  • Portrait of a woman with dark hair, wearing a green leather jacket and gold hoop earrings, against a gray background.

    Bree Gilliam

    Bree Gilliam is a painter and entrepreneur from Buffalo, NY. Her work primarily focuses on social issues and experiences that people face daily. She uses…

  • Young man in a suit and tie smiling against a plain background.

    Harrison Aponte

    I'm obsessed with entendres. As an avid rap music listener, I most admire a rapper that can carefully place a word where it can have different dimensions…

  • A man with glasses and a beard in a dark suit with a striped tie, standing indoors with wooden furnishings and framed portraits in the background.

    Mickey Harmon

    Mickey Harmon is a Buffalo-based illustrator and graphic designer, co-owner of the Pine Apple Company gallery on Allen Street, and the chair of Allentown First Friday Gallery Walk…

  • A young man with dark skin, curly hair, and a beard, sitting on a stool against a beige paneled wall, wearing a dark t-shirt and looking directly at the camera.

    Brandon Watson

    Brandon Watson is a photographer based in Buffalo, NY. His works focus on the obscure, yet dynamic, subcultures of society. Brandon’s work is not only a first-person view of “the process,”…

  • A woman with curly black hair, smiling, wearing a tan long-sleeve top and black overalls, against a dark background.

    Darmelle Esterlin

    Painting oil on canvas portraits is my passion and making pictures has been the core of my existence for many years. It's always thrilling to experience the moment a painting takes on a life…

  • A young man with glasses and a white sweater standing in front of a bookshelf filled with books, with a sign labeled 'THEORY' on the top shelf.

    W.T. Joshua

    W.T. Joshua is a poet, writer, and photographer from Buffalo, NY. I always feel called to create work that stems from a question. If I were to trace my thoughts backward from a…

  • A man with curly hair and a beard standing in front of a colorful abstract painting.

    Conner Chadderdon

    Conner Chadderdon grew up in Orchard Park and then after high-school attended Buffalo State College. He was awarded the Fine Arts Award in 2019 and in 2020 he received the…

  • A woman with blonde curly hair and a black top standing in front of an abstract colorful painting on a wall.

    Kayleah Aldrich

    Kayleah Aldrich was born in Buffalo, New York and graduated in 2021 with her BFA from Alfred University’s School of Art and Design in The New York State College of Ceramics with minors in…

  • A man with curly black hair and a beard, wearing a black turtleneck sweater, standing with arms crossed in front of a colorful, abstract background.

    Jalen Law

    Jalen has been an artist since the age of four. He’s always been interested in different forms of creation, including painting, drawing, and sculpting. In his sophomore year of college, he…

  • A young man with short brown hair and light skin standing in front of a brick wall with colorful digital artifacts. He is wearing a white T-shirt with a small logo on the chest that reads 'MOON' and has tattoos on his arms.

    Andy Krystek

    Native to the Buffalo/Niagara region. A graduate of the University at Buffalo with a BFA in printmaking in 2011. Much of his twenties was spent working…

  • Portrait of a young woman with long, wavy black hair, standing in front of a white door and wall.

    Chango

    As an omni-disciplinary artist my practice tends to feed on the world around me. Energy leaves impressions on me that I have to reckon with through my work…

  • A young man with shoulder-length hair, wearing a blue plaid shirt, sitting on a ledge outside a building with large windows, holding a camera, and a backpack placed on the ground in front of him.

    Kevin Burzynski

    MIXED MEDIA ARTIST

    Kevin Burzynski is a visual artist from Buffalo, NY who works in photography and mixed media painting. His paintings experiment with detail and tactile…

  • A man standing with arms crossed in an art gallery, surrounded by photographs and artwork, including a poster about DJ Carr Meraki and black and white and colored photographs on the wall.

    DJ Carr

    Derrick Carr is a self-taught artist from Buffalo, NY specializing in portraiture, documentary and street photography. Derrick started…

  • A young woman with long wavy brown hair, light skin, and a nose ring, standing outdoors in front of a tree, smiling softly at the camera. She is wearing a light-colored top and a circular pendant necklace.

    Alison Cortes

    BIO Alison Cortes is a working artist residing in Buffalo, New York. She graduated from The University at Buffalo in 2021 with a BA in Art History. She has…

  • A woman with curly hair wearing a red blazer, sitting outdoors with an off-white brick wall background, smiling at the camera.

    Elizabeth D’Amore

    ARCHITECTURAL ARTIST

    Elizabeth D’Amore explores the relationship between art and documentation through the creation of hand drafted, watercolor renderings and..

  • A woman with long, curly, reddish-brown dreadlocks poses against a yellow background, wearing black shorts and a patterned shirt tied around her waist.

    Avanna Duff

    Avanna Duff is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. She has learned the art of painting since the tender age of 6. Avanna attended Martha Ellen Stilwell school of the arts majoring in…

  • A young man with dark, messy hair, a beard, and a mustache, wearing a gold earring, standing against a dark red background.

    Nick Mass

    Nick Mass is a multimedia artist from Buffalo, NY. Self described as a “Rapper, Painter, Creative, dude”, he tries to express himself in any way he can. Some hats he…

  • A man with a beard, wearing a black cap and a white T-shirt, sitting behind a drum set in a dimly lit room with brick walls.

    Phil McAndrew

    Phil McAndrew is an illustrator, a cartoonist, and a writer. His work has been published by The New Yorker, MAD Magazine, The Nib, Popula, and many…

  • A woman with black hair sitting on a wire chair in front of a white brick wall with abstract landscape paintings leaning against it.

    Jeannine Mullan

    MIXED MEDIA ARTIST

    Jeannine Mullan is a visual artist from Buffalo, NY who is exploring excessive texture and using layers to build up the surface of her paintings. Painting with

  • Close-up black and white photo of a young man with short hair, earrings, and a beard, looking to the side, in front of a wall with rectangular slots.

    Peter Olonade

    FASHION AND MIXED MEDIA ARTIST

    Peter Olonade is a fashion designer from Brooklyn, New York. During his childhood he studied in Lagos, Nigeria and returned to the states to complete..

  • A woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a colorful patterned dress standing in front of a desk with art supplies, plants, and decorative items.

    Cassandra Ott

    An eternal optimist and quiet observer, artist Cassandra Ott's lighthearted and bright artistic explorations take shape across a variety of fine art, public art, and surface pattern design. She…

  • A woman with dark hair tied back, wearing earrings, is focused on painting on a canvas with a paintbrush in her right hand, while holding a smartphone in her left hand.

    Danielle Saeva

    PAINTER

    Danielle Saeva is a painter and art educator based in Buffalo, NY who works for Locust Street Art, a nonprofit which provides free art lessons for the...

  • Close-up of a woman with short curly brown hair, brown eyes, wearing gold leaf-shaped earrings, a small nose stud, and a dark sweater, standing in front of a colorful abstract mural

    Kelly Schnurr

    Kelly Schnurr is a multidisciplinary artist and mother of two living in Buffalo, NY. She merges her design background with fine art practices…

  • Black and white close-up portrait of a young man wearing a beanie, resting his chin on his hand, with a thoughtful expression.

    Eugene Sims

    Eugene Sims is a painter and freelance artist based in Buffalo, New York. With a focus on portrait and figure, his artwork invites you to witness a story…

  • Close-up headshot of a smiling woman with long, wavy brown hair, light skin with freckles, in front of a brick wall.

    Laura Valkwitch

    Laura is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on pyrography and oil painting. She is a WNY native and studied fine art at Niagara County Community College. Currently, Laura…

  • A woman with long dark hair, light skin, wearing a pink floral shirt, turquoise earrings, and a layered turquoise necklace, stands against a teal background.

    Jesse Lee Vargas-Colucci

    PHOTOGRAPHER

    Jesse Lee Vargas is a photographer who has spent the past 10 years photographing immigrant communities in California. After 15 years, she…

  • A woman with long, curly blonde hair and glasses, wearing a dark gray t-shirt, standing with her arms crossed and looking thoughtfully. There is a dark background with warm lighting fixtures and a peace sign symbol.

    Nicholas Wheeler

    Nicholas Wheeler is an artist, tradesperson, and designer. He works primarily through woodworking and carpentry, and is often oscillating between…