Cléa Massiani curates "Bits by Bits," an exhibition featuring 6 artists from Buffalo's Starlight Studio and Art Gallery

Cléa Massiani marries scholarship and curatorial practice in her work with artists from the Progressive Gallery Movement

Together with co-curator Emily Ebba Reynolds, Cléa Massiani has curated Bits by Bits, an exhibition that features work by six artists working in Buffalo's progressive gallery Starlight Studio and Art Gallery. The exhibition, which opened earlier this month at the University of Buffalo Center for Fine Arts and runs through December 20th, displays the work of artists Mathew Sharp, Larell Potter, Shamika Long, Angelina Blackmer, Andy Calderon, and Kelly Evans. 

Their work and practice is supported by a progressive studio, Starlight Studio and Art Gallery, which is a studio that supports artists and creatives who are neurodivergent and typically not recognized by conventional galleries and studios. 

"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." https://www.buffalo.edu/art-galleries/exhibitions/2025-26/bits-by-bits.html

Congratulations Cléa, on this important and wonderful achievement!