The Artist of the Year Spark Award honors an individual creative in any artistic discipline or cultural expression whose work, achievements, and community impact have made a meaningful mark on Western New York since 2025. This year’s nominations recognized artists not only for what they create, but for the ways their work brings people together, opens doors, and strengthens the creative community.
Freddie Knight
2026 Artist of the Year Winner
Freddie Knight is a Buffalo-based drag king, performer, and community organizer whose work is rooted in creating opportunities for underrepresented performers and to create more opportunities for Drag Kings, Things, and other underrepresented performers in Buffalo and beyond.
Since beginning his drag career in 2022, Freddie has performed throughout Buffalo and in cities including Rochester, Toronto, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. His impact, however, extends far beyond the stage.
As cofounder and lead organizer of Rookie Knights, Freddie has created a space where emerging and underrepresented drag and burlesque performers can develop their skills, build
community, and step into leadership. The program has served more than 90 local artists while reaching thousands of audience members across Western New York.
Freddie is also the cofounder of The Kingdom, an immersive performance series that brings together drag, improv, theatre, and audience participation to create new opportunities for artists and audiences alike.
For Freddie, drag is more than performance, it is a community built on radical acceptance, self-reflection, and accountability. His work has helped expand what is possible for performers while creating space for others to grow, lead, and thrive.
“Drag is not just performance – it is a living community that relies on radical acceptance, self reflection, and accountability to thrive.”
A.J. Fries
2026 Artist of the Year Finalist
Buffalo-born painter A.J. Fries has spent decades contributing to Western New York’s creative community, both through his own work and through his commitment to supporting fellow artists. A graduate of Buffalo State University’s Fine Arts program, Fries has exhibited extensively across the country, with work held in collections including the Buffalo AKG and Burchfield Penney Art Center.
Beyond his studio practice, Fries is known for making art feel accessible and inviting. He regularly opens his studio to emerging artists for conversation, critique, and mentorship. Most recently, during his mid-career retrospective at the Burchfield Penney, he led a workshop and personally offered
more than 50 tours of the exhibition, welcoming visitors and sharing his process.
From art tailgates to collaborative projects like the Art Barge, Fries continues to find new ways to connect people with art—and to encourage others to see what’s possible within the creative community.
Soda
2026 Artist of the Year Finalist
Buffalo-based artist Soda is a queer painter and pastel artist whose work explores identity, body, belonging, and lived experience through vibrant color and expressive figurative forms. Drawing from their own experiences and the stories of others, Soda creates work that challenges traditional ideas of beauty while inviting viewers to reflect, connect, and consider new perspectives.
Their multidisciplinary practice has recently received growing recognition through exhibitions including Hypervisible at the
Gallery at Seneca One and Body of Work at Hunt Gallery, as well as appearances with Buffalo Arts Studio and UB Art Galleries. Soda also recently contributed their perspective to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum’s Queering the Collection programming.
Through their painting, performance, and community engagement, Soda continues to push the possibilities of figurative art while creating space for more honest and expansive representations of identity and experience.
