Tery Spataro | Contact
Artist Statement
Tery Spataro has been forging futures out of pixels, stardust, and curiosity since 2020, when she first transformed the strange new language of generative AI into a playground for cinematic storytelling. A creative director, filmmaker, artist, and founder of Cosmic Cats and Flying Cupcakes, her AI studio and production company, Tery’s work blends cosmic surrealism, emotional depth, and fearless technical innovation.
Her debut generative AI film, Beyond Darkness, premiered at the JAXFuse Film Festival at the link Nocatee, was selected for the inaugural AI Film 3 Art and Film Festival, and screened internationally at AI Film 3 Cannes. Soon after came White Out, showcased in the ALT AI Art and Motion exhibit at the Mesa Contemporary Art Museum, where frozen worlds whispered strange, shimmering truths.
Her films found a vibrant home on Rad TV, where the Cosmic Cats and Flying Cupcakes, collection has been spotlighted for its originality, whimsy, and cinematic experimentation, introducing her surreal visual worlds to a global audience.
Commissioned by author and luminary Jacqueline Strayer, Tery created VirtYOUoso, a 47-minute AI-animated odyssey based on Strayer’s book BrandYOUtation, for which Tery also designed the cover. The production integrates animation, FX, still photography, music, and sound design into a performance piece that feels part symphony, part vision quest.
Her literary ventures are equally immersive—Strange Place, an epic space opera inspired by wise elder women, cosmic cats, and flying cupcakes, became her first book to integrate both AR and VR, inviting readers to step directly into its surreal, otherworldly narrative.
A member of the link Nocatee, Tery regularly participates in the Circle of Creation and leads AI creation workshops. She is a regular co-host of AI Art Today on X Spaces, a speaker at major creative events, including the NFT.NYC panel Evolution of AI Video Art: Generating Value in the NFT Marketplace, and a thought leader in the evolving landscape of AI art and film.
Her artistry has earned her acceptance into both the Luma AI and Higgsfield Creator Partnership Programs, and she has collaborated with Aiden, GPT, for over five years, proving that human-AI partnerships can be as inventive (and mischievous) as a pair of interstellar kittens.
Upcoming projects include The Bride, a lyrical collaboration with poet Greg Masters and composer Vito Ricci; Perfect Code with JBR Visuals; the next Laundrygate book; and the completion of her delightfully absurd sci-fi anthology Tales from Space.
Tery’s journey began not among the stars but at the dawn of the digital age, as one of the first creative directors to design branded websites for global companies. She went on to found several creative agencies and serve as an executive in top-tier advertising firms, always pushing the boundaries of creativity, technology, and wonder, whether for the page, the screen, or the galaxy.
More about Tery, films and books
Highlights
- An accomplished artist since 1980s.
- Aficionado of science fiction since I was 3 years old.
- I studied art at Paier College of Art and Albertus Magnus College received an BFA.
- I have an uncompleted MFA from Pratt Institute NYC.
- Traditional paintings shown and sold across the US, first showing at the Little Gallery at Albertus Magnus College.
- I began incorporating digital into my art 1986. Had my first exhibit in 1992. In 1997, Pratt Institute NYC my honor interactive piece, dChurch in a group exhibition.
- Since 2010, written and illustrated 11 books.
- Began exploring the use of AI in 2020. Not an AI purist I use my generative AI as base mixing with digital painting and my personal symbolism and flourishes.
- 2020 I printed my decorative AI art on wall art, fabrics, clothing, scarves, home decor and many other objects.
- 2020 Explored quantum space and time as an artform based on my book, The Other Side of the Book.
- Join NFT Tezos artists in 2021. Listing on hic et nunc and Objkt.
- 2021 trained 100’s of my photos and digital artwork on Playform’s GAN (generative adversarial network).
- Laundrygate (2020) my science fiction novel about AI and VR was honor by Cathy Hackl and Forbes top metaverse authors 2022 Summer Reading.
- 2022, my project, Flower Magic was accepted into the Artmine gallery and honored by Playform generative AI.
- 2022 using Playform recreated my picture book and poem Sky Dreams (fantasy picture book) and wrote and illustrated Tales from Space (science fiction graph novel).
- 2023 Accepted into Known Origin first piece sold in September of 2023.
- Began working with Imagine Fine Arts Printing to print my digital and AI arts.
- 2023 First Solo exhibition of AI art at the Link Nocatee.
- 2023 9 AI art pieces were sold in auction.
- 2023 Completed 6 commissions.
- 2023 Became a member of thehug
- 2024 Created first commissioned portrait using generative AI in combination with digital painting.
- 2024 Beyond Darkness accepted in two traditional film festivals, one AI film festivals, received accolades for exceptional creativity, technical prowess, and storytelling.
- 2024 Invited to have a channel on Rad NFTV – Cosmic Cats and Flying Cupcakes was created for cosmic and far out films and music videos.
- 2025 White Out accepted into the ALT Fest AI Art and Motion Mesa Contemporary Art Museum
- Very Early artistic accomplishments
- 1995-2019 Other professional accomplishments I was an executive award winning creative director and innovation strategist in digital and new media advertising and marketing.
- Performance artist in Rudy Burckhardt’s 1988 film, “Mystic Grange or Our Favorite Flower”, with poets John Ashbery and Simon Pettet.
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Artist in Residency Acceptance
Loop Art Critique, June 10-July 15 artwork was a blind selection – Juried by Cassandra Herzberg of Gagosian Gallery
Art Exhibitions Film Festivals and More
2025
March 2025
White Out, March 21, 2025, ALT Fest AI Art and Motion exhibit curated by @AIfilm3 to be shown at Mesa Contemporary Art Museum.
Beyond Darkness, March 18, 2025, Semi-Finalist project of New York International Women Festival
White Out, March 16, 2025, accepted into the Boiling Point Pavilion has been admitted to The Wrong Biennale.
February 2025
White Out, February 24, 2025, received acceptance into the exhibit curated by @AIfilm3 to be shown at Mesa Contemporary Art Museum.
January 2025
Launched the first episode of Tale from Space on Rad TV.
2024
December 2024
Invited to the Luma Labs / Dreammachine Creator Partnership Program with Rad TV.
November – December 2024 Rad TV
- Cosmic Cats and Flying Cupcakes channel on Rad TV.
- Beyond Darkness, feature film, Release November 14, 2024
- Sir Miles Whiskerton Cosmic Space Adventure, music video, Release November 26, 2024
- If Fishes Were Wishes, music video, Release December 5, 2024
- Portfolio release, December 10, 2024
- Magical Merry Merry, release December 13, 2024
- Santa’s Mission, release December 24, 2024
- White Out, release December 31, 2024
October 2024
- AIFilm3 Film and Art Festival, October 31-November 2, 2024, Glendale, AZ, Beyond Darkness (film).
- Spoke on several panels, gave a talk with Tom Lombardo on AI in Science Fiction, and presented on the creating of Beyond Darkness.
- Cine Vista Oasis Film Awards, October 30, 2024, “Beyond Darkness has demonstrated exceptional creativity, technical prowess, and storytelling.”
- Strange Place, an epic space opera with 175 illustrated pages, 15 AR experiences published October 8, 2024
September 2024
- #Infinite Wall September 19, 2024, Good Dad Studios Austin, TX, Strange Place World (Cosmic Nannies)
- JAX Fuse Film Festival, September 14, 2024, the link Nocatee, FL, Beyond Darkness (film)
August 2024
- Futurist Conference 2024 – theGoat NFT Galleries, IRL, Toronto, Canada, Red Riding Hood Tames the Wolf.
- Women in Tech 2024 Showcase, Curated by Monimel, Virtual Gallery, 2 AM.
July 2024
- Group Exhibit Virtual Reality, opening July 25-26, 2024, Ecopoiesis.
- TAT Art Space, Denpasar, Bali, June 17-July 12, 2024, Red Riding Hood Tames the Wolf.
June 2024
- Retrofuturism, AI World Foundation/Base, June 14, 2024, Space Diner, curation by Sandytoes2211 and Seattle Driver.
- Space Diner, retro spacy commercial based on 1950s, is 1 of 1, animated video with music, sold within the 30-minutes of the show opening.
Bali Art Space, June 8-June 15, 2024, Superlative Gallery Bali, 6 artworks, and commissioned to create the logo art, Bali Life Flower for the entire show. Curate by Lily White, TezTown, and Metarupa.
- Red Riding Hood Tames the Wolf
- Blue Star Prepares for Battle
- Planet Death-Earth No More
- Little Cyborg With Carnation
- Spring Fever
- Steampunk Hummingbird Totem
April 2024
- NYF.NYC2024, Lukie the Cosmic Cat, 5 editions, 25tz each
January 2024
- Saatchi Art online gallery, 7 unique pieces.
2023
August 2023
- Las Laguna Art Gallery 2023 50 or Older, Being, Quantum Consciousness – 8, 20×20 Digital Print, 1 of 1 edition, $1,500
- Futurist Conference 2023 – theGoat NFT Galleries, IRL, Toronto, Canada, Quantum Consciousness Being – 4 – Tery Spataro minted KnownOrigin
May 2023, Night of the Arts Auction, theLink Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, Florida
- Studies in Color series: Red Study 1×1, Pink Study 1×1, Yellow Study 1×1 Sold out Auctioned.
- Steampunk Totem series: Frog Totem 1×1, Butterfly Totem 1×1, Hummingbird Totem 1×1 Sold out Auctioned.
May 2023, Night of the Arts Exhibition theLink Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, Florida, Immersive Space.
- Solo exhibit
May 2023, Jen Palmer Arts / Representations Collaborative.
- Quantum Experience – submission, acceptance
- Exhibit
March 2023, W3BTHR33 Ant Life Gallery Denver, Colorado.
- Quantum Consciousness Collection:
- Evolving Quantum Consciousness 1
- Being Quantum Consciousness 1
2022
2022, Public g3 Artist Collective
- Mirror World Reflection City
2022, Omen Collective
2022, HalloweenHaunt2022 Collection
- Beyond Darkness Trapped in a Black Hole
- Beyond Darkness Trapped in a Black Hole, the Horror Begins
2022, Teia NFT.NYC exhibit, Celebrating International Women’s Day,
2022, Flower Magic AI Project was accepted to Artmine on the Polygon blockchain.
WOMENSverse Collection
- 2022, Mirror World Reflection City
- 2022, Mirror World Reflecting Underworld
Galleries
- Saatchi Art – Print Only
- KnownOrigins – Quantum Consciousness Collection
- Tery Design and Creations Spatial Gallery
- Tezos Art
- Objkt
- Artmine for Flower Magic, Collector Curated
Commissioned Art and Projects
2024, Jacqueline Strayer. “People in THIS Moment“. Podcast cover design.
2024, Mojgan Bonakdar. Retrofuturism: Art Catalogue. Tery Spataro book cover, interior page design, and artwork.
2024, Soaring to Great Heights. Commissioned by Melisa Harder.
2024, Portrait: Symbolic of beauty, philosophy, and the joy and tenacity towards living. Commissioned by Jen Nash.
2023, Cover art and interior book illustrations, AI for Brands, Embracing the Future.
2023, Dancing on a Nebula, Printed with AR component. Commissioned by Melisa Harder.
2023, Modern Daisy, wall hanging for real estate office. Commissioned by Danielle Wright.
2023, Eocene Epoch, concept art and video for a VR prototype for Iron Mountain.
2023, Concept art for wooden puzzles commissioned by Zen Chalet.
2020-2024, Evolution of Science Fiction series and webinar, art, and videos for social media posts and promotion. Commissioned by Tom Lombardo.
2023, PSA COVID, concept art for posters.
Collaborations
2023, Going to Luna, with Anna Zubarev
2023, TezosOutpost 2049, with RetroManni,
2023, Love Away, with Cellc D.I.V.A.
2023, Together We Soar, with Lily White
Publications
Books with AI illustrations.
2024, Strange Place, Tery Spataro Publishing
2023, Spataro, Tery, Sikernitsky, Frank, Tindale, Whitney, AI for Brands, Embracing the Future, Intellectual Press.
2022, Beyond Darkness: When I Died In Space. Truth&Strength Publishing.
2022, Tales from Space, Sometimes Sh*t Happens. Truth&Strength Publishing.
2022, Sky Dreams. Truth&Strength Publishing.
Traditional Books
2023, AI for Brands. Intellectual Press.
2021, The Other Side of the Box. Truth&Strength Publishing. E-Book
2021, Flower Opera. Truth&Strength Publishing.
2021, In Search of Elk. Truth&Strength Publishing.
2020, Laundrygate, Strange Stories About the Future. Truth&Strength Publishing.
2016, These Winter Months. Anthology, The Backpack Press.
Comprehensive list of authored pieces and books.
News, Media and Talks
AI Art Giving Back
These AI digital artworks were created to raise money for non-profits or causes.
- Steampunk Totem NFT Collection OBJKT collaboration with Fostering Connections.
- Steampunk Totem Collection Society6 collaboration with Fostering Connections.
- Studies in Color, three unique 1 of 1 AI artworks, printed on cotton cold press paper, raised money for Fostering Connections.
- Steampunk Totems, three unique 1 of 1 AI artworks, printed on cotton cold press paper, raised money for Fostering Connections.
- Save the Majestic Amur Leopard – raised money for the World Wildlife Fund.
- Pedals of Frailty –This token is raising funds for people affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria through TezQuakeAid.
- Courage Peace Love Ukraine Glitch4Ukraine raising funds for NGOs helping Ukraine.
Fine Arts, Limited Edition Art, Fashions
Tery Designs and Creations Store
Tery Designs Limited Edition Art
Work Experience
2020-Present, Creative Director/Brand Strategist, Generative AI, Tery Designs & Creations, Fine Arts, clothing, and accessories line designed using AI patterns. Science Fiction books and picture books, illustrations, videos & music, communications strategy, and content.
2021-Present, Workshop Facilitator and Educator, The purpose of AI in creation. (University of North Florida OLLI, Council on Aging Nocatee, the Link Nocatee, The Future in Art. First Coast Cultural Center, Albertus Magnus College)
2015, Collaborator, “You Have Been Inventoried” Installation for Emerge Phoenix AZ.
2015, Co-founder, Confluence Project.
1990s-2019s, Executive Creative Director and Innovation Strategist, well-known global Advertising, Creative Agencies, and Management Consulting Firms.
2010-2016, Professor, Regis University. Received MBA in Marketing 2008 from Regis University.
1997, Teacher, SVA, New York City.
1997, Lecture – Rise and Fall of Dot Com Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT.
1997, Lecture – Creativity and digital media, NYU Stern, New York City.
1996-1997, Pratt Institute, New York City.
1998, Talk on Rise and Fall of Dot Com and the Future of Digital, Global New Media, Hamburg, Germany.
1986-1988, Associate Art Dealer Ellen Sragow Gallery.
Skills
| Digital Fine Art Painting and Illustration | Mixed Media | Creative Strategy, Content Creation | Curation |
| Generative Art and Generative Video | Abstract Surrealism | Writing and Publishing | Creative Direction, Film Director |
| AI art model training | Graphic Design | Workshop Facilitation | Communication Strategy |
Education
- MBA in Marketing, Regis University
- Uncompleted MFA, Pratt NYC
- Fairfield University, Children’s Book Creation with Leonard E. Fisher
- BFA, Albertus Magnus College
- Classical Art and Design Training, Paier College of Art