Studio
Exhibition Catalog
Digitally printed publication + writing, 8.5” x 11”, 2025Note from the Curator
This introduction was originally published in the exhibition catalog accompanying Worlds Within Worlds. It examines the development of a studio peer group and the critical role of artist-led initiatives in shaping sustainable art ecosystems beyond major metropolitan centers.
When I first began curating Worlds Within Worlds, I knew I wanted it to respond to a sense of disconnection I had observed in Troy. Visual artists here are searching—for one another, and for places that treat art with rigor and seriousness. Not just in terms of technical skill, but in how artists challenge form, experiment with materials, and grapple with political or personal ideas. This kind of risk-taking needs space to be visible, engaged with, and respected—something artist-led galleries like Context Collective help make possible. These spaces don’t just shape public understanding by inviting curiosity about unfamiliar work. They also foster the kinds of relationships and creative momentum that cities like Albany-Schenectady-Troy urgently need.
A year ago, artist Cecilia Lu and I sensed that other local artists shared this desire for deeper connection and a more critically engaged art community. So we started a small peer group. We’d visit each other’s studios, share work-in-progress, and talk about art regularly. Many of us didn’t know each other that well before we began. But over time, it became a way to feel less isolated in our practices. We informally called it the Studio Visiting Group—not knowing what it might lead to. One outcome is this exhibition, Worlds Within Worlds, featuring work from artists who have participated in it. I was excited to propose this show to Context Collective’s open call for group exhibitions. It felt like a chance to continue building something artist-led, artist-centered, and grounded in mutual support
I recently moved here from Kansas City, Missouri—a city that often surprises people when I describe its extensive infrastructure for visual artists, writers, and performers. Something I took for granted while living there is the importance of a diverse and artist-centered ecosystem to a city’s cultural life. Over the years, artists in Kansas City have established and sustained numerous spaces, including Holsum Gallery, Kiosk Gallery, Vulpes Bastille, and The Waiting Room (formerly Beco Gallery), among many others. Some no longer exist but left a lasting impact: The Drug Store, Front Space, Subterranean Gallery, Open House, and 50/50.
One I’d like to highlight is Plug Gallery (formerly Plug Projects), a curatorial project space launched in 2011 by five working artists with support from a $6,000 Rocket Grant. Plug continues to exhibit work by both local and national artists and is known for its ambitious programming. Its mission is “to energize artists and the broader public by showcasing challenging new work, initiating critical dialogue, and expanding connections of artists in Kansas City as part of a wider national network of artists.” While I was in Kansas City, Plug often curated exhibitions that paired out-of-state artists with both emerging and established local ones. They didn’t just reflect the scene—they expanded it. Visiting artists were encouraged to schedule studio visits with KC artists beyond those in the exhibition, maximizing connections for everyone involved. They quickly found their footing and even exhibited artists who later showed in the Whitney Biennial. And they did all this with minimal upfront funds. Of course, this was in 2011, in a city where lower rent and accessible real estate made such experiments feasible. (My two-bedroom apartment around that time was $545, which is wild to think about now.)
Back in the Capital Region, co-organizing the Studio Visiting Group has shown me just how much local artists crave this kind of energy and connection. Many have voiced frustrations about seeing the same names appear in formal, city-wide exhibitions year after year. Audiences aren’t discovering new artists; they’re reencountering the usual ones. Most shows take place in informal venues, such as cafes, bookstores, and other businesses. While these places can offer visibility, they rarely provide the curatorial support, critical framing, or resources needed to elevate visual work beyond a decorative or background role. Public art efforts ask artists to adapt their work to fit a predetermined theme or format tied to placemaking or beautification goals. Rarely are artists commissioned to create work rooted in their own studio practice. With opportunities feeling limited, many artists eventually leave the region in search of more supportive communities.
One persistent issue is the lack of sustainable, artist-led galleries—an absence closely tied to both limited arts funding and the many hurdles artists face when trying to lease a space. Beyond NYSCA’s Statewide Community Regrants, there are few, if any, recurring local funding opportunities from municipalities or philanthropic foundations that directly support visual artists. When artists do come together to try and build shared or solo studio spaces, they cite multi-year lease requirements, general liability insurance, and high rents as significant barriers. These obstacles don’t just limit where art can happen—they shape who gets to make it and how visible that work becomes.
Artist-led spaces offer something fundamentally different than pop-up art markets or institutional venues. Yes, they support unconventional work. But more importantly, they cultivate an ethos that decenters the market and prioritizes inquiry and mutual growth, without having to align with funders, boards, or branding goals. This helps artists feel like they can stay and that their work matters here. Culture isn’t just made or packaged. It’s hosted. That’s why I’m grateful for a space like Context Collective and appreciate their support with Worlds Within Worlds.
This exhibition isn’t a fix for these challenges. But I hope it offers a glimpse of what’s possible when artists commit to one another’s work. Artist-led spaces don’t need huge budgets or sleek branding to matter. They need trust, reciprocity, and enough space—both literal and figurative—to experiment. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from both Kansas City and Troy, it’s that culture is shaped most deeply by the people who stay, who show up for one another, and who imagine new ways to live and make alongside each other. I hope that the Studio Visiting Group and Worlds Within Worlds help encourage more of that here.
Credits
- Cecilia Lu, for co-organizing the Studio Visiting Group with me.
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Mariah Kitner & Ash King, for their support with this project and for providing the exhibition space.
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Ruben Castillo, for everything.
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Collar Works x ChaShaMa, whose 50 4th St. Studio Residency provided space for several artists the Studio Visiting Group had the privilege of visiting.
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All the artists in the Studio Visiting Group, for showing up, sharing openly, and building something together.
- Be Oakely with GenderFail, for inspiring me with their Publishing Now Workshop.
Printed and trimmed by Publication Studio Hudson in Troy, NY
Interior paper stock is Fedrigoni Materica Rough Limestone 250gsm
Cover stock is Fedrigoni Freelife Kendo Vellum White 120gsm
Collated and bound by Ruben Castillo & Dustin Loveland
Designed and published by Dustin Loveland
Cover Image by Dustin Loveland