Bits by Bits
Six Artists from Buffalo’s Progressive Studio
Andy Calderon, Untitled, 2025. Mixed media on paper, 30 x 22 3/8 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Starlight Studio and Art Gallery.
This exhibition presents new work by six artists from Starlight Studio and Art Gallery, a progressive art studio in Buffalo, NY that supports adults with disabilities in developing independent, self-directed art practices. Rather than organizing around a shared theme, the exhibition highlights individual artistic voices—each artist working toward ambitious, personally meaningful projects developed over many months with curatorial and production support.
Mathew Sharp’s paintings blend expressive color fields with playful figures. Eyes, ears, and other surprises often emerge from what at first appears to be purely abstract. Larell Potter explores moral extremes—good and evil, angels and devils—through drawings that are dark, funny, and emotionally raw, channeling the energy of graphic novels and adult animation. Shamika Long’s intricate layered patterns become backdrop to animal portraits that play with scale and finish, collage and composition. Angelina Blackmer uses colored pencil and marker to conjure cozy, witchy interiors and lush outdoor dreamscapes that feel both nostalgic and escapist. Andy Calderon begins with prints and builds on them, layering strong forms and bold colors. His work often features closely positioned faces—sometimes human, sometimes animal—set in vibrant gardens or surrounded by symbolic repetition. Kelly Evans brings a sparkly, goth sensibility to scenes that blend shadow and charm. Her drawings often hint at darker moods or quiet intensity, layered with glitter and personal symbolism that invite the viewer to look again and reconsider the everyday.
Together, these artists offer six distinct visions—emphasizing experimentation, ambition, and voice. In bringing their work into a gallery setting, Bits by Bits invites viewers to consider what artistic agency looks like when it’s supported, respected, and allowed to grow over time.
Ultimately, Bits by Bits asks what happens when self-directed, daily artmaking enters the space of the gallery. How does the shift from the rhythms of the studio to the structures of exhibition shape what we see—and what we value? The show invites viewers to reflect not just on the work itself, but on the contexts that frame it: where creativity is nurtured, where it is recognized, and how those places intersect.
Bits by Bits is curated by Cléa Massiani and Emily Ebba Reynolds, and realized with the support of Starlight Teaching Artists Lily Booth, Sussan Giallombardo, Olivia Long, and Maggie Parks; Carrie Marcotte, Starlight Program Director; Jason Seeley, UB Art Galleries Preparator; and Anna Wager, UB Art Galleries Curator of Exhibitions.