Link Fall 2023: 140 Years of Community

WELCOME

designers in Detroit to accomplished illustrators in Pittsburgh—as part of my continued “presidential tour.” I also enjoyed getting to know alumni during the opening reception for the 2023 Alumni Exhibition in Reinberger Gallery.

Link

Fall 2023

Vol. 27, Issue 1

It’s been over a year since I took the helm as President + CEO, and this past summer brought no shortage of inspiration to invigorate me for Year 2.

In June, the Cleveland Foundation announced that a mural design by Animation major Aniyah King ’25 would be installed on the outside of its yet-tobe-built MidTown Collaboration Center, which will also be home to CIA’s Interactive Media Lab.

Titled “Growth from Within,” the design was selected by residents of Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, where the MCC will be built, and other stakeholders. The design’s colors embody rebuilding, reimagination and cultivation of new growth. Although this speaks to the future of Hough and neighboring communities, I can’t help but see parallels to CIA’s efforts to grow roots and build connections within those communities—all to help co-create a better Cleveland.

I was also inspired this summer by meeting more alumni across the Midwest—from top automotive

As a special bonus, I had the opportunity to engage with more than 30 members of the Class of 1972 as they returned to Cleveland/CIA for their 50th reunion, which extended to 2023 after nearly a year of planning. I was beyond humbled to witness the passion, connection and friendship that perseveres a half-century later. The strength of our alumni community speaks for itself. As I’ve shared many times before, although the CIA student experience lasts only a few years, the alumni community lasts a lifetime.

On that note, I also want to thank the hundreds of alumni who’ve shared their insights with us via the latest Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) survey. Your comments—whether positive, negative or both—show that you care. This feedback is critical to helping us learn, understand, make informed decisions and improve.

Last but not least, welcome to the new-look Link ! You might’ve noticed our other mailings, and even our website, looking a little more colorful over the last year. That’s thanks to a brand refresh we’ve undergone to more boldly communicate the creativity and ingenuity that CIA represents. It’s important for our alumni magazine to convey that, too, and I hope you like Link ’s glow up as much as I do.

Helping alumni and friends of Cleveland Institute of Art remain informed of campus, faculty and alumni news. CIA publishes Link four times a year.

Copyright © 2023 Cleveland Institute of Art

Kathryn J. Heidemann President + CEO

Malou Monago

Vice President of Institutional Advancement + External Relations

Michael C. Butz Director of College Communications + External Relations

Alexandra Burrage Director of Alumni Relations + Scholarships

Brittney Esther Graphic Design + Communications Specialist

Submit ideas and updates for Link:

Mail

Cleveland Institute of Art 11610 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44106

Email link@cia.edu

Phone 216.421.7412

On the cover: Ceramics class with Judith Salomon. From left, Ceramics professor Judith Salomon, an unknown classmate, Pam Young ’81, Eddie Dominguez ’81, Julie Tesser ’81, Mike Sundra ’81, Deirdre Daw ’80, Caren Liebert ’81 in the Ceramics studio. Submitted by Linda Arbuckle ’81.

Kathryn J. Heidemann President + CEO

Faculty Exhibition ushers in new school year at CIA

Compiled by Michael C. Butz

A tradition that spans more than 100 years, the Faculty Exhibition is a celebration of art, design and their makers. It provides an opportunity for the public to view new, original and innovative works by CIA’s world-renowned art and design faculty. And, as always, the exhibition marks the start of a new academic year at CIA and serves as a welcome to students, faculty and staff.

The 2023 Faculty Exhibition will be on view from August 31 to October 8 in Reinberger Gallery. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8pm Thursday, August 31, with brief remarks scheduled to start at 6pm.

Student design selected Hough mural

“Growth From Within” by Animation major Aniyah King ’25 is a mural that symbolizes growth and progress in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood and represents Hough residents’ pride and passion, will be installed at the Cleveland Foundation’s MidTown Collaboration Center when it opens in 2025.

King’s design was selected by Hough residents and representatives from the Cleveland Foundation, Assembly for the Arts and MidTown Cleveland. She was “surprised but proud” to learn that her design was selected, and she’s thankful for the chance to work with and learn from the Hough community.

King’s mural was chosen from among 12 other student entries as part of a class project led by faculty member and communitybased artist Pam Spremulli. The MidTown Collaboration Center is the future home of CIA’s Interactive Media Lab.

Student exhibition to open at Karamu House

Tending to Her Garden, a solo exhibition by Painting major Janoi Daley ’24, will highlight Black feminism and the strength of Black mothers. Her large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings will explore the nuances of Black motherhood and how adversity shapes the way in which they nurture and grow their seeds.

Tending to Her Garden will be exhibited in the Jelliffe Gallery at Karamu House (2355 E. 89th St., Cleveland) starting Friday, August 25. It will be on view during Karamu House’s public hours—Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5pm—through Friday, September 29.

Student exhibition on view at Cain Park

The Smoker’s Etiquette is a group exhibition that explores the nuances of designated smoking areas and how they create opportunities for connection and community. More specifically, the exhibition examines the regular visitors at the designated smoking space behind CIA through various mediums and explores the behaviors, interactions and intersectionality that are experienced—positive, opposed, vulnerable, meaningful.

Participating artists include Life Sciences Illustration major Daly Horton ’24, who developed the exhibition concept, as well as fellow CIA artists Elly Arvizu ’24, Bentley ’23, Liana Gonzalez ’22 , Layla Harris ’24, Ryan Kreitzer ’23, Arfil Pajarillaga ’25,

Xander Ristofski ’22 , Sebastian Schenz ’22 , Ross Sheely ’22 , Thomas Smith ’23 and Rex Young ’24. The Smoker’s Etiquette is on view through Friday, September 22 in Feinberg Art Gallery at Cain Park (14591 Superior Road, Cleveland Heights).

Commencement speaker reflects on CIA experience

Gloria Mark ’78 served as CIA’s 2023 Commencement speaker. She studied visual arts while at CIA, but today, she works in the area of human-computer interaction, or the study of people interacting with computers, and serves as Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She also recently published her first book, the widely acclaimed Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity

We caught up with Mark to discuss her unique career trajectory, how and where art and science intersect, and the lasting influence that faculty member Moe Brooker had on her. Read more at cia.edu/news.

In Memoriam

The Cleveland Institute of Art honors the memory of the following alumni by acknowledging their passing: Ramona Smith ’50, who majored in Advertising Art, died April 13; Andris Strelnieks ’59, who was an Industrial Design major, died April 16. Peter Elloian ’62 , who majored in Painting, passed away July 10. Joanne Berneche ’64, who majored in Painting, died February 3. Roger Blakley ’64, who majored in Sculpture, passed away February 10. William Scott ’67, who was a Graphic Design major, died February 5. Timothy Shuckerow ’75, who majored in Painting and Art Education, passed away July 22. Mary Smetana ’77, who was a Sculpture major, passed away February 3. Harriet Moore Ballard ’87, who was a Painting major, passed away June 17.

BRIEFS

“Bird on a Branch” by Dinara Mirtalipova. 48x48 inches. Acrylics on canvas. Mirtalipova is a faculty member in CIA’s Illustration Department.

Dorsey relishes retirement from CIA, leisure time

By Carlo Wolff

In case you were wondering what Cleveland Institute of Art legend Bob Dorsey has been doing since he retired from CIA in May, he has been enjoying time free of obligations, keeping his house shipshape, and spending time with family.

A fixture in CIA’s Fabrication Studio since he returned to his alma mater in 2012, Dorsey is a two-time CIA alumnus with BFA degrees in Drawing (’80) and Industrial Design (’89).

That second BFA led him to work in the private sector, experience that only made him more versatile. As a technical specialist in the Fabrication Studios, he instructed students in the safe and creative use of machinery.

After his first graduation, Dorsey began working at product design consultancies with friends. After his second graduation, he started working professionally as an industrial designer. He is particularly proud of designing Procter & Gamble’s Spinbrush, a battery-powered toothbrush.

At one time, between design jobs, Dorsey helped his brother, a shrimper who essentially lost his means of livelihood, grapple with the consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a disastrous oil blowout in spring 2010.

“I believe all life experiences build a better understanding to help problem-solve,” Dorsey says. “The real advantage to an art education is the creative advantage we possess over those who are less fortunate.”

Dorsey is known for helping students realize their visions. His humility—a signature trait—shines through in these examples. He helped one student build a pressed, laminated-wood ergonomic chair.

“One day, he arrived with a massive press that he borrowed from Printmaking,” Dorsey recalls. “He made top and bottom solid negative forms. We proceeded to apply glue to each side of all the wood veneers and use the press to form the pieces. Gallons of glue squeezed out everywhere. The chair was beautiful.”

Above: Recently retired Bob Dorsey was familiar to most CIA students who used the Fabrications Studios. Next page: Dorsey and his tools.

Another student he assisted has a visual deficit “which would deter most people from entering a shop,” Dorsey says. “I explained how it would be helpful to approach the wood with a tool due to reduced lack of depth perception,” he says. “She was so excited to carve wood and turn wood on the lathe! I’m very proud of her.”

“Bob always rolled up his sleeves and got to work—problemsolving, making, fixing or lending a hand,” says Dan Cuffaro, Industrial Design Chair. Cuffaro, a 1991 CIA grad, was Dorsey’s student years ago. He later became Dorsey’s supervisor.

The school owns a metal lathe, probably built in the 1950s. For a long time, it didn’t work, and securing parts was more than a challenge. One day, Cuffaro saw Dorsey using it and asked him how he’d revived it. Dorsey told Cuffaro he’d fabricated the parts himself.

Now, Dorsey is working on a degree in leisure.

“For the first time in 40-some years, I no longer have to drive in rush hour or spend time mowing my two acres on a weekend, when weather permits,” says Dorsey, who lives in Columbia Station with his wife, Kris ’81.

“I am enjoying retirement,” he says. “I have time to catch up on the seemingly endless house repairs and maintenance. I also get to spend fun time with my two grandchildren—the most important time. I find some time to wrench on my motorcycles.”

Look for Dorsey on his vintage Harley-Davidson, taking long rides in the country.

I believe all life experiences build a better understanding to help problem-solve. The real advantage to an art education is the creative advantage we possess over those who are less fortunate.

–Bob Dorsey ’80 ’89

Sharpe joins CIA following prestigious Getty fellowship

By Carlo Wolff

Gemma Sharpe, PhD did not expect to be awarded a coveted international fellowship in 2022. To her surprise, she secured one—the Getty/American Council of Learned Societies Postdoctoral Fellowship in the History of Art—enabling her to further develop Modernist Agencies: Art and Cold War Politics in Pakistan. Her book-in-progress explores the often-testy relationship between modern art and modern politics in Pakistan and pre-1971 Bangladesh between the 1940s and 1990s.

Sharpe officially joined the Cleveland Institute of Art as an assistant professor of Art History for the 2022–23 academic year, but thanks to the Getty fellowship, her first semester in a CIA classroom is this fall. She hopes above all to equip her students with the poise and authority she tapped into when she applied for the fellowship.

Sharpe’s credentials include publishing articles in all kinds of publications, graduate work at the City University of New York, and appointments at various schools in Karachi, Pakistan. The Getty award broadens her academic portfolio.

“It’s a rare and wonderful scholarship because it’s nonresidential, which means you have a year of salary and some travel funding to just think and write,” she says. “There was no way I was going to get this opportunity, I thought, so I might as well be brutally honest about my project and where it is controversial within the field. I put all my cards on the table, though usually I’m much more diplomatic and measured. It turns out to have been a winning formula.”

Sharpe had never been to Cleveland before she interviewed for her job, “but it immediately felt familiar to me.” She was born in Nottingham and grew up in the Lake District, in the north

CIA faculty member Gemma Sharpe, right, joins fellow Getty fellowship recipients, from left, Álvaro Luís Lima, Kayleigh Perkov, Gretel Rodriguez and Matthew Worsnick at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Submitted photo.

of England. “The nearest big cities to me back home were Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, all port cities that flourished in the 19th century and have since fallen on hard times.” Cleveland’s ornate facades, elegant city centers, and signs of vanished industry resonate for her.

In addition to scholarship, Sharpe relishes teaching. A fulltime faculty position at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi, Pakistan gave her a sense of what her CIA post will be like. “I’m delighted to be back in a similar institution here,” she says.

Worldliness is a term that certainly applies to Sharpe. It’s also a CIA value, says Greg Watts, Vice President of Academic Affairs + Dean of Faculty.

Like Sharpe, Watts has led a peripatetic life. A native of Cambridge, England, he joined CIA last year from the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas, where he served as dean for six years. Before that, he was Chair of the Art Department at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

“Hiring faculty with different lived experiences enriches our community,” Watts says. “Worldliness should be reciprocal. If we bring the world to Cleveland, we can in return take Cleveland to the world.”

The world, in the meantime, is coming to Cleveland in the person of Gemma Sharpe. Her goal is to build intellectual confidence among her students.

“If I’m teaching a survey course in Art History, I want students to come out of the class feeling like they can walk through the Cleveland Museum of Art with a spring in their step and a sense of ownership over their experience,” Sharpe says. “They’re not drifting through the museum in a state of confusion and intimidation, but with assuredness and expertise.”

New faculty hires for the 2023–24 school year

Gemma Sharpe won't be the only new face at CIA for the 2023–24 academic year. She'll be joined by several other new ranked faculty members, most of whom came from across the country.

Nicole Condon-Shih joins CIA as an Associate Professor and the chair of Foundation. Condon-Shih is an artist, educator and academic leader exploring the intersection of art, science and technology. Her research-based creative practice examines the dichotomy between the microscopic versus the macroscopic in thinking about biological, cultural and societal systems. Condon-Shih is returning to CIA after serving as the Dean of the School of Art at Pratt Munson College of Art and Design in Utica, New York.

Rachel Ferber will be an Assistant Professor in Foundation. An interdisciplinary artist, designer and educator, Ferber’s work explores the sticky sides of power, performance and sustainability through the lens of commodified private space. In addition to her studio, she runs an experimental natural dye project called The Dye Bath and is one-half of the art and design initiative, NEW NEW NEW.

Adam Lucas joins CIA as an Associate Professor and chair of Graphic Design. Lucas is a graphic designer, publisher and educator who runs Specific Ideas, a multidisciplinary creative practice that is one part graphic design studio, one part independent publishing house. He is one-half of the art and design initiative NEW NEW NEW. Before coming to CIA, Lucas was a full-time faculty member at Kansas City Art Institute.

Jessica Richardson will be an Associate Professor in Creative Writing. Richardson is author of the short story collection, It Had Been Planned and There Were Guides, which won the FC2 Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize and was long-listed for the PEN American Center/ Robert W. Bingham Award. Her work has been featured or honored at The Short Form, Zoetrope, Short Fiction, the National Society of Arts and Letters, and her novel won the 2022 Grindstone International Novel Prize.

Scott Richardson ’91 will serve as Visiting Professor and interim chair in Interior Architecture. He is founder of Richardson Design, a Cleveland-based commercial design studio that's gained a global reputation for its excellence in creating engaging guest experience. Richardson’s focus has always been on combining forward-thinking problem-solving, fearless creativity and dedicated client service. By fostering strong relationships and overseeing a continuously evolving design process, he has cultivated a successful studio that attracts some of the top creative talent in Northeast Ohio.

Hiring faculty with different lived experiences enriches our community. Worldliness should be reciprocal. If we bring the world to Cleveland, we can in return take Cleveland to the world.

– Greg Watts, Vice President of Academic Affairs + Dean of Faculty

140 Years of Community

140 Years of Community

Compiled by Michael C. Butz and Alex Burrage

This past year, the Cleveland Institute of Art has been celebrating its landmark 140th anniversary. There are many ways to commemorate such an occasion, but we felt the best way was to invite alumni to share memories of the friendships forged during their years at CIA. After all, it’s the community we’ve built together that’s made CIA so special for more than a century.

From lifelong bonds and professional partnerships to creative connections and joyful memories, we thoroughly enjoyed the many ways alumni reminisced about their time at CIA. But wait, there’s more! What’s printed in Link is only a fraction of the memories we received. More can be read at cia.edu/news

No going back to Dartmouth

I came to CIA as a transfer from Dartmouth, a place I found elitist and stifling. Working in the foundry one day, Carol Chiantis ’81 strolled in with cigarettes rolled in the sleeve of her T-shirt and a “don’t f*** with me” look on her face. She lit a cigarette with the oxyacetylene torch, flipped on her goggles and got to work. I knew immediately I wouldn’t be going back to Dartmouth. As Joe McCullough (director at the time) had told me, “CIA is a place for people who know what they want to do.”

Andy Yoder ’82

Sculpture

Enjoying a lifetime of inspiration

I met my dear friend Bea Mitchell ’80 in Julian Stanczak ’54’s drawing class at CIA. It was 1971. After graduation, we worked together once a week making art at her beautiful home for 25 years. Last year (October 12, 2022), she passed away leaving a wonderful body of work: sculpture, painting, mezzotints and poetry. She was such an inspiration!

Beth Nilges-Nehamkin ’76

Printmaking

Nurturing talent, fostering friendships

Charlotte Merat ’22 and I, both Illustration majors, cemented a bond over rigorous projects at CIA. Starting in the same Orientation group, we became fast friends, and those four years of constant collaboration in a vibrant atmosphere transformed our friendship. Today, our paths remain intertwined as we work together on the whimsical world of Care Bears at Cloudco Entertainment. CIA not only nurtured our individual artistic abilities but also fostered a lifelong friendship and professional partnership.

Tori Sheese ’22 Illustration

Bad Movie Club = great outlet

One of my favorite things I did to get away from the ever-busy culture of CIA was to spend time away with my peers on campus, during Saturday nights at Bad Movie Club. It was a great outlet to build relationships and having the ability to take the time to get to know one another better by watching so many shlock-ey ’70s flicks. If we stuck around until midnight, we played a couple hours of video games on the classroom projector, mostly Jackbox games. Most of my favorite memories were from that club!

Brittany Batchelder ’19

Illustration

Beat the clock to win design award

The 1970 Clean Air Competition entry built by CIA and Case Western Reserve University received a design award. Core CIA builders were Larry Nagode ’74 and John Breen ’73 and myself, with faculty

Peter Zorn ’65 and Jon Bailey ’63 along with CWRU engineering students. The car was built from scratch in six months and tested at the General Motors proving grounds in Michigan. Chuck Jordan, head of GM Design, had visited the school for a student automotive project and said that we would not be able to complete it. We got a picture of him standing beside the car. GM subsequently sent a team of

prototype builders to learn how we were able to pull Fiberglas molds directly from the clay buck.

Ken Foran ’74

Industrial Design

Bonding creative souls at CIA

Amidst the buzz of creativity and light beer, four friends found themselves huddled around the small table during an opening in the old Reinberger Gallery. The effervescence of the chilled brew mirrored the excitement in the room, as laughter and animated discussions filled the air. Amidst the celebration of artistic expression, they savored the camaraderie that united them, basking in the shared passion for art, friendship and the simple joy of being together. Matt Courtney (enigmatic Ceramics department studio technician) with students Jen Long ’94 with her infectious smile spreading positivity, Chelsea Woznak ’94 leaning into Jen’s embrace, feeling the camaraderie among them, while I sat comfortably beside Chelsea, a laid-back demeanor bonding them as creative souls intertwined in the vibrant tapestry of art and friendship.

Kevin Snipes ’94 Ceramics

Charlotte Merat ’22, left, and Tori Sheese ’22. Submitted by Sheese.

Class of 1972 gathers over the years

Several members of the Class of 1972 posed for the same photo over a span of 55 years.

The black-and-white photo was taken in April 1968 on a wall behind Clarke Tower.

The second photo was taken May 13, 1972, the morning after Commencement, on the same wall behind Clarke Tower.

The third photo was taken July 15, 2023, when the Class of 1972 held a 50th anniversary celebration (plus one year of planning). They posed on a similar riser as the original wall behind Clarke Tower, which has been razed.

Creating close, lifelong friendships

There are four of us gals who met the first day of school in 1971 and became instant friends. We pursued different fields, but were great roommates for five-plus years. Throughout the past 45 years, we have remained loyal friends, confidants and support systems, sharing careers, families, joy and pain. Being one of the few females in Industrial Design, an intense and geographically confined field (in the original George Gund Building “The Basement”) created close, lifelong friendships with especially two colleagues. Both were pallbearers at my husband’s funeral last year. There are others I miss dearly and consider friends I am very proud of. CIA helped create enduring relationships of love, respect, encouragement and responsibility for the welfare of others; from mutual interests, humor, and industriousness and discipline of the arts.

Lorene Gates-Spears ’76 Industrial Design

Friendship grew and sustained

My friendship with Toshiko Takaezu started in 1957. I was on a working scholarship and maintaining her Ceramics Department was my assignment. Toshiko started teaching at Princeton and moved to New Jersey. By then, I was in nearby Philadelphia, which allowed me to see her frequently. Our friendship grew over her remaining years.

Ronald Rozewski ’67

Painting/Printmaking

Front row, from left: Paul Pizzini, Steve Wohleber, John Spirk, Gary Spinosa (sitting), John Nottingham. Back row, from left: Allan Cameron, Jack Stone. Submitted by Jack Stone ’72.

Front row, from left: Steve Wohleber, John Spirk, John Nottingham. Back row, from left: Allan Cameron, Marty Smith, Jack Stone, Gary Spinosa, Joe Workosky. Submitted by Jack Stone ’72.

Front row, from left: Jeff Heacock, Paul Pizzini, Steve Wohleber, Greg Stanforth, John Spirk, John Nottingham. Back row, from left: Allan Cameron, Marty Smith, Jack Stone, Gary Spinosa, Joe Workosky, John Matusiak. Submitted by Jack Stone ’72.

Inspired to take risks with work

My first encounter with Tom Aprile ’76, a sculptor and passionate artist a few years ahead of me, inspired me to take risks with my work. Mary Anne O’Malley ’78’s precarious sculptural table setting made out of plaster and steel clearly showed me that anything was possible. All of us moved to NYC, where we continued our friendships, visiting each other’s studios frequently. Tina Limer ’78’s poetic largerthan-life paintings of teacups remain significant in my mind today. In fact, Tina and I still connect in similar ways as we did in the 1970s. Unfortunately, Tom and Mary Anne have passed away, but they remained lifelong friends.

Pamela Heller ’79 Sculpture

Making friends on Day One at CIA I made two friends on my first day of CIA in September 1960—Deborah Teas Lass ’64 and Barbara Sullivan Henry ’65. We’ve remained friends to this day, although we lost Debbie in 2016. We bonded over our shared dislike of Dimensional Drawing, a 1pm Monday lecture that taught us art school could be hard. We would barely make it back to campus on time after lunch but never considered playing hooky. We all managed to pursue our art careers throughout our lives, ending up in places we may never have expected but keeping our places in each others’ hearts.

Michelle Ruskin Braverman ’64 Graphic Design

Treasuring lessons learned at CIA

First day, freshman year, Life Drawing: I was drawing the figure in a tiny space on the large white pad and using my thumb to create shadows. During the break, I walked around the room looking at dramatic compositions filling pages. What I treasure most is what I learned from my colleagues. But I was way too serious. Having children for a boss for 40 years has helped considerably.

Marc Brown ’69

Illustration

Michael Torok ’91, Scott Richardson ’91, Dan Cuffaro ’91 and Mike Gavorski ’91. Submitted by Cuffaro.

Wayne Calco ’84 and Merrie Dudley ’85. Submitted by Calco.

Jessica Langley ’05 and Ben Kinsley ’05. Submitted by Langley.

Ceramics studio technician Matt Courtney, Jen Long ’94, Chelsea Woznak ’94 and Kevin Snipes ’94. Submitted by Snipes.

Alum finds meaning in giving

By Michael C. Butz

After Chuck Kovacic ’72 earned his BFA in Graphic Design, with a minor in Painting, he eventually headed west to sunny Southern California, where his plein-air painting practice has no shortage of scenic inspiration. He’s found a community there by way of his advisory and programming activities with the California Art Club.

But his connection to Cleveland—and, more specifically, the Cleveland Institute of Art and its community—has remained strong over the years. In fact, in July, Kovacic joined several of his classmates in Cleveland for a 50-year reunion.

“I took considerable joy in embracing the success of others as well as their eventual triumphs over various adversities,” he says. “The delightful tour of Nottingham Spirk was an affirmation that talent can find a path through innovation and hard work. I spent several hours sharing the career arc of a talented painter. The joy of seeing how a focused designer engaged their talents to promote their various pursuits. How a gifted photographer cobbled so many creative aspects together to establish his

place in the community. A rich cocktail of artistic endeavors!”

His friendship to CIA has remained firm in other ways, too. For the last 20 years or so, Kovacic has steadily supported CIA by making gifts that help current students.

“As the years go by, an artist grows wistful of their formative days,” he says. “The foundations that were established at the Institute enabled me to navigate through a number of turbulent challenges. Frequent bouts of unemployment requiring the necessity for reinvention were built upon a “sense of self” generated at CIA. My donations were an acknowledgement of those abilities as a reminder of their origins.”

Alumni might choose to give for many reasons. It could simply be a matter of forming a lifelong relationship with their alma mater. It could be to pay it forward so that artists and designers who follow in their CIA footsteps might benefit. For Kovacic, the reasons are deeply personal.

“Although the amounts were small, they represented an embrace of artistic gratitude,” he says. “The passing

of a classmate became a forthright remembrance as I sought to relive moments together by making a donation. I could see their work and relive cherished conversations with each check that I sent along.”

What advice might Kovacic offer to fellow alumni thinking of giving back to CIA?

“I’d suggest that a donation in the name of a classmate who has passed can become an important remembrance and commemoration of a shared friendship,” he says. “That donation becomes a prayer that will now be passed along to a newer generation of fellow artists.”

Back in California, when Kovacic isn’t exhibiting in the California Art Club’s annual Gold Medal show or in its Old Mill Gallery in San Marino, he enjoys attending CIA alumni gatherings.

“Because of my West Coast location, the important contact has been those annual CIA forays to Los Angeles,” he says, referring to events around the annual CTN eXpo in Burbank. “It’s been a delight to hear of new dreams from those who are committed to making them a reality.”

Chuck Kovacic ’72, a Signature member of the California Art Club since 2017, exhibits work in a California Art Club exhibition. In 2016, Kovacic was the recipient of the club’s William and Julia Bracken Wendt Award. He also hosts the club’s lecture series. Submitted photo.

NOTES

Compiled by Alex Burrage

Robert Fillous ’35* was featured in a cleveland.com article that discussed the restoration of his “Tree of Knowledge” sculpture on view at Berea-Midpark High School in Berea, Ohio.

Paul Tikkanen ’49* was honored through an exhibition, Paul Tikkanen: A Retrospective, at the B.K. Smith Gallery in Royce Hall for Fine and Performing Arts at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio.

Harold Zisla ’50 * was remembered for his impact on the art of a former student in an article with LaPorte County HeraldDispatch in Indiana.

Mary Ann Hess ’51* was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Carol Jenks LaChiusa DiSanto ’52 was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Watercolor Society at the Kruizenga Museum of Art at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

Julian Stanczak ’54* had a solo show, Beyond The Mirror, at The Mayor Gallery in London.

Ron Testa ’65 had work at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center in

Rochester, New York and in The Portrait at Praxis Photographic Arts Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ray Burggraf ’68 is included on Page 29 of Florida Sculptors and Their Work 1880-2020 by Deborah C. Pollock from Schiffer Publishing.

Kim Zarney ’71 participated in Monothon Santa Fe, a community fundraising event for local youth by arts nonprofit Partners in Education. Zarney created a series of prints with master printers Jennifer Lynch from Lynchpin Press and Ron Pokrasso from Galisteo Street Studio. Selected pieces were then sold to benefit Partners in Education.

Charles Kovacic ’73 organized and lead the 13th Plein Air Roundup in Nevada and Utah in March. Fourteen artists, including Kim Zarney ’71, participated in the outing, which included painting in the Virgin River Canyon, Zion National Park, the Maynard and Edith Hamlin Dixon home and studio and Valley of Fire State Park.

Debrah Butler ’74 was accepted into the 87th National Midyear Exhibition at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio

Bill Fleming ’74 had a solo exhibition at the Watson-Ewell-Currin Art Gallery in the Hudson Library in Hudson, Ohio.

Mary Oros ’77 had work in a threeperson show, Capturing the Ephemeral Beauty, at Desta Gallery in Mill Valley, California.

Babs Reingold ’78 had work in a three-person show, Beauty In Climax, at the Department of Contemporary Art Tampa in Florida and in Stitched + Dyed at Dunedin Fine Art Center in Dunedin, Florida.

Mary Urbas ’80 curated the BIG @SS @RT SHOW at the Gallery at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio. The show featured work from

Leslye Discont Arian ’76, George Kozmon ’82 , Judy Takács ’86, Jenniffer Omaitz ’02 and faculty emeritus Gerald Vandevier.

David Verba ’80 had work on view at the gallery at River Flower Wellness in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

Marsha Sweet ’81 had work in PEACE, LOVE, AND UNDERSTANDING at Da Nang Fine Arts Museum in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Cynthia Roach ’82 won the Best of Miniatures Award from the San Diego Watercolor Society for her painting “Safe Haven.”

William Moore ’84 had a solo show, Heartfelt 3D Inspired Musings, as well as work in CURVES 2023 with Biafarin in Toronto. Work also appeared in Kingdom Animalia with Exhibizone online and in the 50 or Older with Las Laguna Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, California.

Laura Reed ’86 received the First Place Award in the Follow the Thread exhibition at Grosse Pointe Artists Association Gallery in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

Eric Tuck-Macalla ’86 had work in Fruits of Our Labor at Pinwheel Gallery in

David Verba ’80

Mary Urbas ’80

Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood; New Horizons at PAR Projects in Cincinnati; and Rooms to Let: CLE in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood.

Judy Takács ’86 has a solo show, Mothers, Women, Children, Choices at Chagrin Arts in Chagrin Falls, Ohio through November. A solo show, The Goddess Project: Warriors, was on view at the Ashtabula Arts Center in Ashtabula, Ohio. Takács was also awarded Signature Status from the Portrait Society of America’s 25th annual conference.

Eddie Mitchell ’87 received the firstplace honor in the Oil & Acrylic category of the Spring Fine Art Show with the Euclid Art Association in Euclid, Ohio.

Deborah Pinter ’88 will serve as a juror for Art of the State, which will open in September at The State Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Susan Donovan Lowe ’89 had work in Paper: A Closer Look in the Lobby Gallery at 200 Public Square in downtown Cleveland.

Barbara Stanczak ’90 will have a solo exhibition, Spirit & Matter, on view beginning September 16 at the Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio.

Jean Wells ’90 won the top prize in the 14th Annual International Peeps® Art Exhibition at the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin.

Ann Marie Toebbe ’97, a part-time faculty member in the Art and Art History Department at Columbia College in Chicago, received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the college in May.

Kiara Pelissier ’00 had an exhibition, House on Fire, at the Quirk Hotel Gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Kimberly Engel ’02 received an emerging artist grant from Creative Pinellas, a Largo, Florida-based nonprofit arts agency, and as a result, will exhibit her work in a group show with fellow recipients at the Gallery at Creative Pinellas.

Ryan Nagode ’03 was named Vice President of Interior Design for Stellantis.

Sreshta Rit Premnath ’03 had work in A Gathering in the Making at Someday Gallery in New York City.

Annie Libertini ’05 was awarded the Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft.

Laura Marsh ’06 had work in Unsolicited Advice at HUB Gallery at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Oliver Barrett ’07 was one of 12 artists commissioned to create a poster for the film John Wick 4

Mike Marks ’07 showed work in S urface Tension at Kerredge Gallery at the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock, Michigan.

Jessica Birchfield ’09 was recently named design director for Moen, which is based in North Olmsted, Ohio.

Laura Marsh ’09 had work in Unsolicited Advice at the HUB-Robeson Galleries at Pennsylvania State University through July 16.

Georgio Sabino III ’09 had work in Artistic Jungle at Trudy Wiesenberger Gallery at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland.

Lauren Yeager ’09 was a participating artist in the 2023 Venice Biennale.

Leigh Brooklyn ’11, Violet Maimbourg ’21 and Bonnie McCormick ’23 had work in The Big @ss @rt Show at Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Chen Peng ’16 had a digitally printed mural, “There, There,” on view on the Art Wall, LAND studio’s rotating art space on Public Square in downtown Cleveland.

Kimberly Chapman ’17 has a solo show, Eighty-Six Reasons for Asylum Admission, on view at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology at the University of Akron’s Institute for Human Science and Culture in Akron, Ohio. An opening reception and panel discussion will take place October 4.

Noah Cutwright ’18 had an animated short featured on Comedy Central’s “The Drawing Board,” a new program in partnership with Yes, And… Laughter

Lab that highlights rising animation talent.

Mark Rubelowsky ’19 won first-, second- and third-place prizes for work in the 31st Annual Juried Show with Rabbit Run and Madison Public Library in Madison, Ohio.

Miranda Stano ’20 recently completed a Master of Arts in Medical and Biological Illustration at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Violet Maimbourg ’21 had a piece included in the Prague International Art Exhibition in the Czech Republic and two pieces in the 2023 National Juried Exhibition at the Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, Maryland. Work also appeared in Anything But A Canvas at Ground Floor Artists in Surprise, Arizona.

Zharia Rahn ’21 worked as a prop designer for the Disney series, The Owl House

Jordi Rowe ’23 had a solo show, Light Doesn’t Hear if You Ask it to Wait, at Valley Art Center’s Patron Gallery in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

ALUMNI

Judy Takács ’86

NOTES

C. Butz

Colby Chamberlain (Liberal Arts) published the article “An Addendum to Pop: The Trademarks of Robert Watts,” in the Fall 2023 issue of American Art Journal

Nicole Condon-Shih (Foundation) will participate in the Big Prints exhibition at The Westwood in Utica, New York from August 19 through October 1. Work was created as part of Big Ol’ Steamrollin’ Prints Invitational (BOSPI) and the Munson Arts Festival in Utica.

Maggie Denk-Leigh (Printmaking) had works selected to the juried exhibition As Good as Gold: 50 Years of the MFA at Clemson, which opens in September at the South Carolina university’s Brooks Center for the Performing Arts. She was selected to be in the Northeast Ohio Print Invitational, on view from October 23 to December 1 in the Fawick Art Gallery at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. Her work was included in Handing It Down at Artists Archives of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, which included an online lecture “From Stone to Silicone: The Future of Printmaking.”

John Ewing (Cinematheque) was invited to give a talk to his Denison University classmates as part of their 50th class reunion in Granville, Ohio. The title of the lecture, which was supplemented by film clips, was “Beautiful Friendships: Some Classic Films and Filmmakers You Should Know.”

Scott Goss ’06 (Foundation) was awarded a public commission for the city of Vermilion, Ohio to construct a series of three benches that take the form of sails from a schooner boat. The design references schooner boats that were once built on the site where the sculpture will be situated. The project is scheduled to be completed in spring 2024.

Steven Gutierrez (Foundation) was commissioned by the village of Saranac Lake, New York to create a public artwork celebrating its boat culture and

lake resources. He will create six paddle designs for a lakeside park.

Benjamin Johnson (Craft + Design) received the Award for Excellence in Glass in the 77th Ohio Annual Exhibition at the Zanesville Museum of Art in Zanesville, Ohio. He will have a solo

exhibition, August Show, August 19 through October 7 at River Gallery in Rocky River, Ohio.

Jimmy Kuehnle (Sculpture + Expanded Media) will serve as a panelist in “Column & Stripe’s Art of Leadership: The Evolution of Art into Digital Spaces”

Compiled by Michael

Nancy Lick

on August 23 at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. Matthew McKenna, Associate Vice President of Information Systems + Technology, will also be a panelist.

Scott Lax (Liberal Arts) will be interviewed live by Seth Green, Dean of the University of Chicago Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies for the school’s Conversations @Graham YouTube channel. The topic is “Taking the Road Less Traveled to a Writing Life.”

Nancy Lick (Illustration) received first place in the Graphics category for her mixed-media piece, “14,” at the 47th Annual Fairmount Art Exhibit at Fairmount Center for the Arts in Russell Township, Ohio. The show runs through August 26.

Adam Lucas (Graphic Design) exhibited at Printed Matter’s 2023 Los Angeles Art Book Fair. In conjunction with the fair, he also participated in a panel on bookmaking and collaboration at Hauser & Wirth, speaking about designing and publishing AutoSummarize, an artist book by Jason Huff.

Matthew Minnich (Information Technology) became a member of the board of directors for The SuperHero Project, which interviews kids and teens with serious illnesses, disabilities and complex mental health and physical medical needs about who they are beyond their diagnosis and how they want to make a positive difference in the world. He has been a volunteer artist since 2019 and created eight posters for the group.

Thomas Nowacki (Life Sciences Illustration), as part of his CIA sabbatical, accepted a visiting professor role at the St. George’s University Medical School in Grenada in the school’s Center for BioMedical Visualization.

Doug Paige ’82 (Industrial Design) has been working with organizations to help integrate biomimicry methodology into their research processes through consulting, workshops and speaking engagements. Recent partnerships include NASA Glenn Research Center, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland MetroParks Zoo, all in

Cleveland, and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Sarah Paul (Sculpture + Expanded Media) received a Satellite Fund Grant from SPACES in Cleveland and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York City. The grant will support her solo exhibition, Fiber Chambers, in which she’ll use media installation and multimedia objects to explore the state of being simultaneously in and out of body in the interest of fostering a space to heal from trauma.

Alyssa Perry (Liberal Arts) published poems in Fence and Cleveland Review of Books. In October, she will present work at the Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago, where she served as artist-inresidence in April.

Jess Richardson (Liberal Arts) has a new prose poem, “Dear One,” in Bending Genres Journal, and a new short story, “Substitutions,” in the upcoming issue of The Evergreen Review. In collaboration with the dance company Yonder, she wrote the text for “Unstuck With You,” which just opened at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

Judith Salomon (Emeritus) has a solo exhibition through September 30 at Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana.

Zach Savich (Liberal Arts) served as writer-in-residence at the Chautauqua Institution in June, and his new poetry collection, The Motherwell Sonnets, was published by The Economy Press.

to a significant increase in internships, community partnerships, student awards and enrollment. Successful student outcomes have placed CIA on prestigious lists recognizing the world’s best animation and creative media institutions.

Pam Spremulli (Foundation) released her third children’s book, Chautauqua Dog Love, in July. She was a featured artist in Jamestown, New York’s ArtScape public art project. Her design was selected for Shaker Art Council’s “Painting the Town Utility Box”; her work will be at Shaker Boulevard East and Warrensville Center Road. Two of her works were selected for the Chautauqua Institution’s Visual Arts Members Exhibition, Into the Blue, at the Fowler-Kellogg Art Center in Chautauqua, New York.

Barry Underwood (Photography) recently had work acquired by the Ellen Noel Art Museum in Odessa, Texas and the Schingoethe Center in Aurora, Illinois. His work was included in a group exhibition, Intersections, at Sous Les Etoiles Gallery in New York City. He also collaborated with Concertgebouw Brugge in Belgium.

Anthony Scalmato ’07 (Animation) was recognized as Crain’s 30 Notables in Education Leadership for his work in education and for advancing CIA. Scalmato has built connections and recruited faculty to develop an industry-facing curriculum that has led

Alberto Veronica Lopez (Craft + Design) won a Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture grant for a project that brings a series of 10 ceramics workshops to the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center in Cleveland and establishes a portable ceramics studio there. The project’s name is “Mi Tierra es Oro/My Land is Gold.”

FACULTY + STAFF

Alberto Veronica Lopez

Several Animation majors join Animation Department chair Anthony Scalmato ’07, third from left, for a group photo prior to the 2023 Commencement ceremony on May 21 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center.

Photo by Rustin McCann.