Stay A While Longer: Fabric Collage Works from Studio WestFerry

Allen Street Art is thrilled to be hosting Keshanta Cleveland's first solo exhibition "Stay A While Longer: Fabric Collage Works from Studio WestFerry" in our gallery for September of 2025.

Join us 6-9pm on the evening of September 5th to experience this fantastic show, enjoy great company, help yourself to delicious complimentary snacks, and enjoy the pop-up vendors!

Keshanta Cleveland (KeKe / Ke) is a mixed-media contemporary artist based in Buffalo, NY originally from neighboring Lackawanna. Her vibrant, textured works—created primarily with fabrics and acrylic paints—explore peaceful landscapes, distinctive animals, and figures in still life-inspired settings. Guided by the belief that “the world is her oyster” for inspiration, Ke blends her love of color, pattern, and form to create pieces that feel both grounded and imaginative.

Ke’s creative roots trace back to her childhood, recreating drawings of cartoon characters and pencil portraits. Her creativity continued later in her studies in fashion design and merchandising at Villa Maria College, which later evolved into a business-focused path. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and an MBA from Canisius College in 2017 and 2020 respectively, bringing a thoughtful, multifaceted perspective to her artistic practice.

In 2019 while continuing to work full-time as a marketing professional, she launched her journey as a visual artist under the name Studio WestFerry, working out of her Elmwood Village apartment. Originally focused on line drawings, her practice took a meaningful turn after discovering the art of fabric collage. Her process—selecting textiles, sketching, underpainting, and layering materials—is both meditative and intentional, with each step reflecting care and creativity.

Committed to community engagement, Ke has volunteered annually at the Charter School of Inquiry, guiding students through the creation of Freedom Wall-inspired self-portraits using fabric and paint. Her artistic accomplishments include completing her first public mural at the 2023 Hertel Alley Mural Festival, exhibiting work in local galleries and markets such as The Good Stuff’s group show “Lunar” and Princessa’s Art Studio’s “Harmony in Hues – A Black History Art Exhibit,” and receiving “Best in Show” honors at the 2024 Carnegie Art Spree.

Through Studio WestFerry, Ke continues to expand her creative practice, sharing joy, color, and intention with every piece she makes.

"The use of fabric in my artistic practice has been a meditative practice for me. Through my textile-based work, I explore the beauty of the natural world and the small moments of everyday life—frequently depicting birds, fish, floral elements, and human figures. My work often portrays animals set against richly patterned backgrounds or settings and people immersed in joyful, still moments.

By layering textures, patterns, and forms, I construct visual narratives that invite close observation. Bold colors are a central element in my work as well, often enhanced with acrylic paint to create depth and balance. Each composition is carefully considered and drawn out with charcoal first, with every cut and placement contributing to a larger story. My work also carries moments of fun, surprise, and sometimes quirkiness. Whether it’s an unexpected color combination, a whimsical bird expression, or a playful interaction between figures and their surroundings.

The phrase “Stay a while longer”—which appears on my social media—captures my invitation for viewers to pause, look closely, and engage with the work beyond the surface. Through my art, I aim to create spaces of calmness, curiosity, and happiness."

- Keshanta Cleveland

Host or Publisher Sky Vance