october 2026 visiting artist
Allison Smith
the sculptor and painter behind Shakin’ Blues
Meet Allison
MEDIUM /// SCULPTURE
Allison Smith (aka Shakin’ Blues) is a Geneseo, NY-based mixed-media sculptor whose work is inspired by an overactive imagination and the transformative power of creation. Working primarily with Paper Clay, recycled materials, and found objects, Allison creates whimsical, surreal, one-of-a-kind pieces full of soul. She began sculpting a year ago as part of her personal healing journey, building a full-time practice rooted in art as therapy, growth, vulnerability, and finding beauty in unexpected places.
FOLLOW ALONG:
Instagram: @shakinblues
Previous displays
VISIT THE ARCHIVES OF OUR VISITING ARTIST DISPLAYS:
MEDIUM /// MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS
Susanne Hartke is a visual artist, graphic designer, and art educator based in Avon, New York. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University and a Master of Science in Art Education from Nazareth College. For more than two decades, she has balanced careers in education and graphic design, while continuing to develop her studio practice. Her paintings are characterized by bold color, layered pattern, and thoughtful composition, drawing inspiration from travel, memory, and everyday experiences.
FOLLOW ALONG:
Instagram: @h.art.ke
MEDIUM /// ACRYLIC PAINT
Mary Kate is a painter based here in Geneseo, NY!
She loves to play around with fun colors, compositions, and different styles mainly with acrylic paint on canvas. Most of her works are centered on natural elements, landscapes, flora, and fauna.
For Mary Kate, art and creative endeavors have always been a source of joy, exploration, and opportunity for play!
FOLLOW ALONG:
Instagram: @mk8collection
MEDIUM /// ILLUSTRATION & ANIMATION
Dan DeZarn is an artist, educator and craftsman, living in Livingston County NY. Over the last 30 years his art practice has included large-scale sculpture, site specific installations, small and functional objects, sustainable construction, photography, and various two-dimensional processes.
This current body of work draws from his life living in the forest with his wife and kids. It combines layered elements of light, shape and color to reference the space of wooded environments and the fleeting beauty and shifting color relationships through changing conditions and seasons.
FOLLOW ALONG:
Instagram: @danoftheforest
MEDIUM /// ILLUSTRATION & ANIMATION
Ray Chiulli is a digital artist & animator whose work is a colorful marriage between the silly and the strange. His style and aesthetics are largely informed by the early days of the internet and Adult Swim, which were marked by their surreal and occasionally crude varieties of animation. He has an affinity for creating odd characters and putting them in comedic situations.
You can see this displayed in his most recent series of pieces known collectively as "Creature County." This project was funded by the GVCA with the goal of making and sharing public art in Livingston County that is easily accessible. All the photos used in the project are of local businesses who now host the artworks so that they can be viewed by anyone. Making artwork that is fun and engaging for smaller communities is something Ray is passionate about.
Born and raised in Geneseo, he found himself yearning for more access and exposure to the arts for much of his life. After attending Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and getting his BFA in 2D Animation, he now hopes to give back to the very same community that he grew up in.
FOLLOW ALONG:
Instagram: @ratchili
MEDIUM /// PAINTING & SCULPTURE
Mike Wedge makes paintings and sculptures of everyday scenes, but with a dreamlike twist. The imagery in his work is often recognizable and naturalistic, but upon a more sustained viewing, odd situations emerge. Deer and foxes find themselves in the city, and traffic lights and parking meters appear in the woods. The dichotomy between the city and the country is a recurring theme in Mike's work.
After an idea for a piece is conceived, Mike uses photos of acquaintances to create reference collages. These collages are created using a variety of methods, including layering drawings on tracing paper, cutting and gluing printed photos, and making digital collages using pixlr. Surreal scenes of displaced people and animals result in Mike's artwork.
Mike Wedge received a BA in Sculpture from SUNY Fredonia, and a Master of Science for Teachers from RIT. He currently lives in Geneseo, NY with his wife, Natalie, and their 2 kids, Asher and Anjali. When Mike is not painting and sculpting, he is teaching elementary art.
FOLLOW ALONG:
Website
Instagram: @myke.ouej
❤️ Love from Geneseo features 143 postcard designs from over 20 local artists.
📍Stop by The Gallery at 79 Main Street in Geneseo, NY (It’s right by the bear 🐻 fountain in the center of town, you can’t miss it!)
✅Choose the postcard(s) you like and purchase at the counter. Each card is $5 and comes with a standard postage stamp.
✏️You can sit down right at the workshop tables in the gallery and write a note, draw a picture, whatever you want!
📬 Drop your card(s) right in the mailbox at the gallery or take them with you and mail them yourself.
➡️ Festivities kick off on February 2nd with a First Friday Art Party starting at 6pm!
Morgan Everly is a local artist and arts instructor from Rochester, NY. Working primarily in oil now (but historically in whatever sounds exciting at any given time). Her work explores the natural world through personal lens featuring critters, plants, and objects from her many random collections. A firm believer that any act of creativity is a worthwhile endeavor, and that a creative life is something we are all capable and deserving of, she embraces experimentation over perfection. In addition to her studio practice Morgan works with children to create space for art exploration during the beautifully chaotic years of childhood. She takes great inspiration from her elementary and middle school aged students, and especially appreciates their willingness to get silly and try new things. Morgan’s approach champions the wild, weird and the wonderfully personal, both in her own work and in the creative work of others.
Sage Gentry is an artist living and working in Rochester NY. They create assemblage work with a focus in soft sculpture. Primarily illustrative, Sage’s work acts as a form of escapism through their use of world building. Each work has a visual narrative linking them together. They bring that world into the physical plane through sculpture, drawing, and painting. Inspired by stop motion animation and puppeteering, Sage creates personified objects that will surely be your friend.
Sage has made objects since a very young age, first notably being a cat from masking tape. But on top of a life long pursuit of art, Sage received a BFA in Sculpture and Integrative Practices from Pratt Institute (2022).
FOLLOW ALONG WITH SAGE’S WORK:
Kate Welshofer created a monster — actually, she created a whole bunch of them and they just keep multiplying. Oops. Secret Monster Project started as a fun, silly, no-stress, daily creative practice on New Year’s Day 2023. A lifelong doodler, Kate started posting her artwork on Instagram: a monster a day — to keep the burnout away. Little by little, the monsters found their way into the hearts of some loyal fans, even becoming the subject of Kate’s first book: You Monster (That’s a Compliment.) After nearly 30 years of working in television news, Kate left her on-air job in 2024 to pursue a more creative path. The monsters are a big part of her mission to give people a break and encourage any one of any age to embrace art, creativity, positivity, and play.
Follow ALONG WITH KATE’S WORK:
Stacey Mrva is a metal sculptor and owner of Ironwood Studios, known for transforming bold line drawings into expressive steel wall pieces. Her pieces in this show reimagine old-school tattoo flash in welded form. She also leads VERY VERY AWESOME empowering women’s welding workshops in her Springwater, NY studio.
Sami Bodratti is the beautiful brain (and very steady hands) behind Ambrosia Arti, a woman-owned eco-focused tattoo studio right here on Main Street in Geneseo, NY. Sami's work is colorful, floral, vivid and captivating.
Bill Finewood is a professional artist and educator. He lived the majority of his life in Newark, NY and now resides in Ontario, NY. He graduated from Geneseo with a BA in Art, earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University and worked in illustration/graphic design the majority of his career. He retired from his second career teaching illustration at RIT as an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Illustration program in the School of Art. Bill served as a member of the board of directors for ICON4(The Illustration Conference 4, San Francisco) and also served on the board of directors of Wayne County Council for the Arts, Inc. He is currently a member of Pittsford Fine Art and exhibits work at the gallery which is located at 4 Main Street in the Village of Pittsford, NY.
Jordan Coons is a ceramic artist and arts educator based in Syracuse, NY, creating work that blurs the line between function and art. She explores themes of resilience, strength, and fragility, making pieces that are both visually striking and deeply meaningful.
Jordan's journey with ceramics started while earning her B.S. in Art Education at Buffalo State College (2010), and she later deepened her practice with an M.A. in Art Education from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2017). Teaching is a big part of her passion—she loves helping others find their creative voices.
Her work has been featured in regional exhibitions and has earned recognition for its intricate designs and craftsmanship. She combines traditional techniques with innovative forms and textures, pushing the boundaries of what functional pottery can be.
Kruttika Susarla is an illustrator and cartoonist from Andhra Pradesh, India, working across editorial illustration, picture books, and comics. She graduated with an MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture from Washington University in St. Louis in 2022. Soon after, she moved to Rochester and fell in love with Mt. Hope Cemetery. She unfortunately never tried a garbage plate before moving out west in fall 2024.
Kruttika’s work for The Freedom Sisters (Pratham Books, 2024) won a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators and will be part of the Illustrators 67th Annual Exhibition. She collaborates with community-engaged organizations in the US and the Global South to create books, zines, and toolkits.
Her self-published comics tell stories of connection, community, and labour. Kruttika's comics have been exhibited internationally, including at the Erlangen Comic Salon in Germany and the Fumetto Comic Festival in Switzerland. Her narrative work is bright, bold, and textural. In 2022, she won the Cartoonist Coop Minicomic award for Made in Heaven Inc. (self-published, 2021) and in 2025, she won the Paper Rocket Publishing award for Alexander’s Curse (2024), also supported by the Gallery Grant.
Gerald Swanson is a graphic artist, illustrator, designer, animator and painter currently residing in Groveland, NY. Gerald’s artwork often features impromptu, fantastical worlds and characters drawn from imagination, with memorable curiosities to be discovered within the details of his work. His artwork leans heavily into symbolism, emotion and storytelling. Major influences include Romanticism, Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, and Chinese 山水画. Gerald received his BA in Graphic Design from the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Portland State University (2000-2005). Previously residing in rural and urban locations throughout the American West and Hawai’i, international travel to Europe and East Asia has greatly impacted his outlook. Gerald is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps (active duty 2009-2013).
❤️ Love from Geneseo features 143 postcard designs from over 20 local artists.
📍Stop by The Gallery at 79 Main Street in Geneseo, NY (It’s right by the bear 🐻 fountain in the center of town, you can’t miss it!)
✅Choose the postcard(s) you like and purchase at the counter. Each card is $5 and comes with a standard postage stamp.
✏️You can sit down right at the workshop tables in the gallery and write a note, draw a picture, whatever you want!
📬 Drop your card(s) right in the mailbox at the gallery or take them with you and mail them yourself.
➡️ Festivities kick off on February 2nd with a First Friday Art Party starting at 6pm!
A joint exhibition by ceramicist Stephanie Krist of Fired Figments and designer/letterer/maker Joanna Walters.
Jacob Taylor is a local multimedia artist from Geneseo, New York. His work spans across a multitude of mediums including acrylic and pastel painting, and ink illustration. In reference to his show ‘Incongruent’ Jacob claims; “There tends to be no rhyme or reason to my artistic process outside of ‘What is fun right now?’ and thus explains why I go by ADHD. Art that ebbs and flows as freely as my attention span.”
MEDIUM /// PAINTING & ILLUSTRATION
Madjo Rice is a local illustrator and painter out of Tampa, FL. After graduating in the class of 2022 at SUNY Geneseo, she did a year of AmeriCorps in Rochester and continued to work in Geneseo where she later became the Gallery Manager at the Gallery in the Valley. Her work is highly personal and usually sprouts from her artistic process of writing letters she has no intention of sending. This self-care practice helps her work through tough emotions and inspires many of the visuals in her illustrations and paintings. While her art is highly personal, Madjo’s professional life is focused around finding and organizing community through creative expression. With a local art scene as rich as the Genesee Valley, Madjo hopes to provide a space for community, creativity, and collaboration.
MEDIUM /// DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION
Josh Coon is a Conesus, NY based artist that has been exploring various curiosities of his mind through whimsical illustrations for many years. His love of drawing has fueled him to share that work through teaching, marketing, and most recently as one of the founders of HA! Skates (a boutique artist-driven skateboard company.) Working primarily digitally these days he continues to explore his creativity bringing to life the quirky characters of his imagination.
MEDIUM /// ACRYLIC, WATERCOLOR, MIXED MEDIA
Amy Balling is known for merging her science background with art to showcase the simple beauty in nature. As a high school science teacher Amy is well known in the science community as a writer and editor for the State Regents exams. She was selected as the NYS Biology Teacher of the year in 2014 and is a New York State Master teacher. This knowledge of science is clearly reflected in her drawings and paintings. She is inspired by the serenity of our state parks, Finger Lakes, wildlife, and small vignettes such as historical libraries and antique stores. Her artwork has been showcased in The Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, New York State galleries, HBOMax, Magnolia Network, and small stores around the region.
MEDIUM /// FORAGED PIGMENT PAINTINGS
From a lineage of artists, scholars, and revolutionaries for social justice, Alexander Fals is a genre all his own. His paintings are not just wall hangings, but windows into a magical world where all things have beauty and mystery. The mineral pigments he uses are colors that have been underground in ancient volcanic deposits, lying dormant for centuries. Each color has a unique mineral composition, many of which are naturally flecked with Mika, stones and crystals. Born in Naples NY, 1990, to mother Lauren Sherwood (Naples, NY), and father Roberto Fals (Popayán, Colombia), Alexander spent his seventeenth year as an exchange student living with his Grandfather, Dr. Jaime Fals Borda, in Colombia. He then returned to New York to study Environmental Conservation and Ecology at Finger Lakes Community College. After leaving school in 2011, Fals decided to blend his love for ecology, evolution, and Colombia. He moved to Popayan and began painting, using a technique regionally pioneered by his Uncles, Henry and Billy Fals: foraging for vibrant naturally occurring pigments and processing them into paint using a strong yet biodegradable adhesive.
MEDIUM /// MUSIC & PHOTOGRAPHY
Felicity Houston Thomas (they/them) is a singer/songwriter based in Geneseo, NY. They are an alumnus of Geneseo Central School and Nazareth University with a BFA in Musical Theater. Felicity credits their artistic skills to being brought up in a very musical and theatrical family and classical vocal training that began when they were ten years old. Songwriting came to the forefront of Felicity's many creative interests around 2015, and "Reaching Through a Generation" is the first time they have shared their work! You can find Felicity on Instagram and all other social media platforms by searching @felic127
Dante Zaccagnini Thomas, grandfather of Felicity Houston Thomas, was an English professor at SUNY Geneseo for 45 years. He was a true renaissance man and an especially talented nature photographer. His collection, taken on 35mm film, was then self-developed in his at-home dark room. Dante honed his craft over five decades from the early 1950s through the early 2000s accumulating thousands of prints over his career. Dante passed away in 2013 surrounded by his loved ones who are so grateful to see his work on display for his beloved community.
MEDIUM /// DRAWING, PAINTING, CERAMIC
Kim Binaghi Lee is a life-long New Yorker who moved to Geneseo in 2011 with her husband Eddie and the cat. She has been an artist her entire life. Her first major work was completed at the age of three; an abstract mural in red at her great grandmother’s house. After graduating with an art degree she worked for the State of New York in public affairs through the 1990s. During this time she also held art classes through Very Special Arts New York and taught after school art classes for children. In the early 2000s she was a member of an arts organization and gallery in Latham NY before ultimately moving to Geneseo. Kim continues to share her art experience with community art classes at Wadsworth Library. She works in her home studio drawing and painting and creates in clay at the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts with other like minded friends. Her work has evolved into mixed media pieces that tell stories of her life experiences and current events. Follow her at kimbinaghilee on Instagram.
MEDIUM /// CERAMIC, PRINTMAKING, CROCHET SCULPTURE
Julia Parrino and Isabella Fluker are longtime friends that hail from Tampa, Florida. Their show "Buds in Bloom" welcomes spring with bright colors, expressive designs, and playful whimsy.
Isabella studied animal welfare and behavior at NYU, and graduated in 2021. She started crocheting during the pandemic as a way to keep her hands busy, and found her passion in making these little dolls she calls Babas. Babas have an anxiety reducing effect and multi-sensory qualities, and are made with the intention of assisting children and adults with controlling their anxiety.
As an artist who battles anxiety herself, she notes on the ways they have helped her:
"I find that they assist a lot when I am having difficulty in my day to day life. The best way to find peace with your baba would be to either count the amount of rows on their body when anxious or trace your finger in a swirl pattern around their body, following each row."
Julia studied Graphic Arts and Design at University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, and has been working locally on public art and murals since graduating in 2023. Julia's bright and intricate work centers nature, humor, and nostalgia. She works in a variety of mediums, but channels most of her designs through ceramics and printmaking. She gathers inspiration from the landscape of South Florida where she grew up and beautiful visions of her grandmother's Spanish style home, where bright colors and complex patterns decorate everyday life.
❤️ Love from Geneseo features 143 postcard designs from over 20 local artists.
📍Stop by The Gallery at 79 Main Street in Geneseo, NY (It’s right by the bear 🐻 fountain in the center of town, you can’t miss it!)
✅Choose the postcard(s) you like and purchase at the counter. Each card is $5 and comes with a standard postage stamp.
✏️You can sit down right at the workshop tables in the gallery and write a note, draw a picture, whatever you want!
📬 Drop your card(s) right in the mailbox at the gallery or take them with you and mail them yourself.
➡️ Festivities kick off on February 2nd with a First Friday Art Party starting at 6pm!
MEDIUM /// PAINTING & SCULPTURE
Mike Wedge makes paintings and sculptures of everyday scenes, but with a dreamlike twist. The imagery in his work is often recognizable and naturalistic, but upon a more sustained viewing, odd situations emerge. Deer and foxes find themselves in the city, and traffic lights and parking meters appear in the woods. The dichotomy between the city and the country is a recurring theme in Mike's work.
After an idea for a piece is conceived, Mike uses photos of acquaintances to create reference collages. These collages are created using a variety of methods, including layering drawings on tracing paper, cutting and gluing printed photos, and making digital collages using pixlr. Surreal scenes of displaced people and animals result in Mike's artwork.
Mike Wedge received a BA in Sculpture from SUNY Fredonia, and a Master of Science for Teachers from RIT. He currently lives in Geneseo, NY with his wife, Natalie, and their 2 kids, Asher and Anjali. When Mike is not painting and sculpting, he is teaching elementary art.
FOLLOW ALONG:
Website
Instagram: @myke.ouej
MEDIUM /// OIL AND WATERCOLOR
Kasey Lewis is a Brockport, NY based oil and watercolor painter. Her work captures the awe and peace she finds in nature. Whether she’s painting a scene she came across on a walk in her rural neighborhood or composing a whimsical still life of a visit from a cheerful bird, her work offers a moment of calm in a busy world.
Kasey grew up in Albion, NY and fell in love with drawing in middle school. Nurtured by her art teacher and her parents she went on to pursue art and graphic design and received a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Kasey worked in the field for several years designing for Kodak and Wegmans packaging. She then stayed home with her children. When they got a bit older she craved to be creative and started painting again.
Within the last 3 years she has created bodies of work, started selling at art festivals, creates commissioned work, has licensed over 40 pieces of art and most recently started teaching watercolor classes. You can find her prints and cards in many local shops and her wholesale and licensed pieces across the country.
FOLLOW ALONG WITH KASEY’S WORK:
Website: kaseymelissaart.com
Instagram: @kaseymelissa
MEDIUM /// POLYMER CLAY EARRINGS
“My name is Michael (pronounced like the “traditionally” boy’s name), and I make polymer clay earrings. I worked in theater before coming to clay, and still remain a thorough theater nerd. I’m a playwright, an aspiring 90s sitcom connoisseur, and jazz history nerd. I love to read, buy books that I’ve yet to read, and buy books that I accidentally already read. My goals include: someday having a fleet of dogs. My leisure time includes: making lists of potential names for said fleet. My journey with polymer clay started when Miché Fambro, my beloved musician father passed. I inherited (musician kids will understand) $500 bucks and his immense record collection. I used the $500 for a bed in the back office for my Mom to come over and stay the night whenever she wanted. I couldn’t listen to Dad’s music, but I found that I could listen to the records, and it was a nice way to bond with Dad from afar. I would listen to an album while playing with clay. He introduced me to the deep tracks of Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Johnny Guitar Watson, so much Frank Sinatra I can’t count, underground punk of the 80s, so much classical, etc etc etc etc. Listening to these albums, and every time working with clay while I did - I got pretty good by record #43, really good by #67 and by the time I got to #103, I had so many freakin’ earrings I had to figure out what the hell to do with them. So, I decided to pick up the ol’ family trade and sign up for a festival. I couldn’t believe it - people actually were buying them. Things I made with my own hands! To wear on their body! They kept buying, I kept making, and now it seems I have a little business called Jazz House. ” - Michael
FOLLOW ALONG WITH JAZZ HOUSE DESIGNS:
Website: jazzhousedesigns.com
Instagram: @jazzhousedesigns
MEDIUM /// 2D ILLUSTRATION AND ANIMATION
“The rat is an animal that straddles the line between being adorable and being grotesque. Because of this, I’ve come to frequently express myself through the image of a rat. My work is strange, goofy, sometimes dark or gross, but also cute. Just like a rat. In my work, I mesh gritty textural elements with rounded, cartoonish designs, expressive animation, and inject it all with a bit of my own real world experiences. This is because I like to create art that both expresses how odd the world is and exaggerates the absurdity of it. My goal is to put a magnifying glass to the world and give people the chance to laugh at just how weird it looks up close.” - Ray
FOLLOW ALONG WITH RAY’S WORK:
Website: ratchilistore.com
Instagram: @ratchili
TikTok: @ratchili
MEDIUM /// PAINTING & MIXED MEDIA
Ivy Stevens-Gupta is an international award-winning contemporary artist living in Ithaca, NY USA. Her artistic style varies from photorealism to abstract designs. Stevens-Gupta is one of those artists who takes photos of granite, tree trunks or woven fabric because imperfections, natural patterns and colors inspire her to paint. She often dreams of colorful paintings before she creates them. She is a 2023 NYSCA grant recipient. Stevens-Gupta studied art at Alfred University and has a graduate degree from Empire State University. As a certified color therapist, she has a huge crush on color and strives to convey its emotional and psychological significance when she paints. Stevens-Gupta’s colorful paintings have appeared in several books on international contemporary artists and her work has recently been exhibited in Rome, Hong Kong and Germany. Steven-Gupta’s work helping others creatively express themselves is what really brings her joy. She has used color as a form of therapy while painting to help herself transform and process grief, stress and anxiety, and this experience has anchored her work as a color therapist. Some of the many organizations Stevens-Gupta has taught color and art are Cornell University, MIT Sloan Alumni, Aravind Eye Hospitals and Aurolabs in India, SUNY Cortland, and SUNY Alfred. Her bespoke paintings involve several layers of acrylic, oil, polymers, and high gloss resin on cradled birch board panels. To see more of Stevens-Gupta’s work or to take a workshop, connect with her online: