About
Tara Bystran-Pruski
Tara Bystran is an artist and entrepreneur whose current painted body of work, The Bandaged Place, is a meditation on the healing complexities of scar tissue.
The artist has studied philosophy, painting, and human development, and received their M.F.A. in Visual Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is an Adjunct Professor of painting and advanced drawing at Daemen College.
They are a founding member and past President of non-profit Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo (ELAB), which created City of Night, and served as Vice President to the Buffalo Society of Artists.
Tara owns Snowy Owl Arts & Teahouse, where they have run ArtLab, a free community arts group, for over 10 years.
They live in West Seneca with their wife, Sarah Bystran-Pruski.
Education
M.F.A. | Visual Arts, Vermont College of Fine Arts (2015)
M.A. | Human Development, George Washington University, summa cum laude (2008)
B.F.A. | Fine Arts, State University of New York at Buffalo, cum laude (2006)
B.A. | Philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo, cum laude (2006)
Organizations
eLab | Founding Member
ArtLab | Founding Member
Buffalo Society of Artists (BSA) | Associate Member (2011-Present), Vice President (2018-2020)
Burchfield Penney Art Center | Member
Creative Mornings Buffalo | Member, Presenter (2019)
Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School | Director, Buffalo, NY, Chapter (2012-2014)
Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo (ELAB) | Founding Member, President (2010-2018)
Related Work Experience
2010 – 2017 | Director of Individualized Education, Buffalo Academy of Science (Buffalo, NY)
2011 – 2012 | Curator, Avant Building (Buffalo, NY)
2010 – 2012 | Instructor, 464 Gallery and Studio 464 (Buffalo, NY)
2006 – 2009 | Art & Special Education Teacher, Eastern Senior High School (Washington, DC)
2005 – 2006 | Construction Worker and Mason, Woodcrafter Construction (Buffalo, NY)
Press
ART
Irish Central | September 26, 2024
WGRZ | September 25, 2024
The Buffalo News | December 20, 2023
Buffalo Rising | December 18, 2023
The Burchfield Penney Art Center | June 18, 2023
Niagara Frontier Publications | January 25, 2023
ASI WNY Grant Press Release | January 23, 2023
Shoutout HTX | January 6, 2022
WGRZ | June 7, 2021
Rise Collaborative | May 7, 2021
LISC Western New York | May 7, 2021
Just Buffalo Literary Center | 2021
Niagara Gazette | July 22, 2020
ASI WNY Mural Announcement | March 23, 2020
ArtVoice | August 31, 2011
Rochester City Newspaper | October 1, 2019
The Buffalo News | September 25, 2019
Aerial Dance Buffalo | September 7, 2019
ArtVoice | May 17, 2016
The Buffalo News | July 15, 2015
Step Out Buffalo | April 22, 2015
Buffalo Spree | February 3, 2015
Daily Public | January 14, 2015
WBLK | January 13, 2015
The Buffalo News | December 31, 2014
Buffalo Rising | December 8, 2014
Buffalo Spree | June 17, 2014
The Buffalo News | February 22, 2014
Buffalo Rising | February 14, 2014
The Buffalo News | January 2, 2014
Orchard Park Bee | January 2, 2014
Buffalo Rising | October 24, 2013
Buffalo Rising | August 16, 2013
Buffalo Rising | March, 2013
The Buffalo News | April 8, 2013
The Buffalo News | April 4, 2013
The Buffalo News | September 9, 2012
Snowy Owl Tea
Buffalo Place | March 20, 2021
The Buffalo News | January 28, 2021
The Buffalo News | June 23, 2020
Green Living Gurus | December 14, 2020
Spectrum News 1 | June 10, 2020
Kombucha Brewers | August 29, 2018
Qween City | September 7, 2017
Step Out Buffalo | July 20, 2016
The Barrel Factory
Step Out Buffalo | March 2, 2023
WKBW, AM Buffalo | February 8, 2023
WKBW | January 25, 2023
Step Out Buffalo | January 18, 2023
Buffalo Rising | November 7, 2022
Buffalo News | March 7, 2018
Upstart NY | November 16, 2018
BizJournals | December 9, 2015
Awards, Grants, & Residencies
2023 | Art Services Inc., New York State Council on the Arts | Grant Recipient, “The Bandaged Place”
2011 | The National Arts Program | Honorable Mention
2008 | George Washington University | DC Teaching Fellow
2006 | Morrison Arts Award | Recipient
Selected Events, Collaborations, & Exhibitions
December 2023 | “Anthem: A Solstice Art Portal“, Art Services Inc., New York State Council on the Arts | Solo Exhibition
September 2023 | Exquisite Corpse, Revolution Gallery | Featured Artist
September 2023 | Drawing Rally, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center | Featured Artist
July 2023 | 49th Annual Members Exhibition, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center | Featured Artist
July 2023 | “Meeting Resistance: Adaptations for Artistic Perseverance”, Chautauqua Institution | Featured Presenter
February 2023 | Exquisite Corpse, Revolution Gallery | Featured Artist
2022 – Present | Tarot Drink ‘n’ Draw, The Merry Shelley | Featured Artist
2022 | “Meeting Resistance: Adaptations for Artistic Perseverance”, Creative Professionals Exchange (CPX) | Featured Presenter
2021 – Present | Queen City Traveling Market | Co-Founder
2020 | “The Musk Deer”, 124th Catalouge Exhibition, Buffalo Society of Artists | Featured Artist
2016 – 2020 | Burton & Sas | Artistic Collaboration
2019 | “This is What Awesome Means“, Creative Mornings Buffalo | Featured Presenter
2018 – 2019 | Music is Art Festival | Featured Artist
2017 | Nikola Tesla Fest: Electric Circus | Co-Founder
2015 | “The Alchemy of Dreams“, HiTemp Fabrication | Solo Exhibition
2015 | “Waldeninsamkeit“, Glow Gallery | Solo Exhibition
2014 | Artists & Models Affair 25: True Defective | Featured Artist
2014 | le Cirque de la Lune, an ELAB Art Circus | Featured Artist, Organizer
2013 – 2016 | Echo Art Fair | Featured Artist
2013 | “Coming Soon“, Artspace Gallery | Solo Exhibition
2013 | Trimania, Buffalo Arts Studio | Featured Artist
2013 | ELABaret | Featured Artist, Organizer
2012 – 2013 | City of Night | Featured Artist, Co-Founder, President
2012 | “Lovely, Dark, and Deep”, 464 Gallery | Solo Exhibition
2012 | Creative Conversation | Featured Artist, Organizer
2012 | Artists and Models, Pierce Arrow Building | Featured Artist
2012 | Midsummer Night’s Draw, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center | Featured Artist
2012 | Living Art, Main St. Studios | Featured Artist
2011 | “Sirens”, 464 Gallery | Solo Exhibition
2011 | Live Mural Painting, Echo Art Fair | Featured Artist
2011 | Debase, Blink Gallery | Featured Artist
2010 | Ripe, Blink Gallery | Featured Artist
2010 | “Crown of Stars”, 464 Gallery | Solo Exhibition
2009 | “Urban Bodhisattvas”, Busboys and Poets | Solo Exhibition