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Interactive Media Lab

I design the future in 14,297 square feet of technology, innovation and collaboration.

Student in motion capture suit performing in CIA's XR studio, surrounded by tracking cameras and virtual production equipment.

Welcome to the CIA’s Interactive Media Lab:

Imagine slipping on a headset and designing your own world in virtual reality. Picture yourself building the next video game hit and testing it in our in-house arcade. Transport your stories to brand-new places using our world-class virtual production studio.

From prototyping inventions to creating vehicles that exist in a new dimension, you’ll have the tools and space to push your imagination further than you ever thought possible.

At CIA’s Interactive Media Lab (IML), possibilities become reality.

INNOVATION STARTS HERE

The IML is more than a makerspace—it’s a game-changing hub where artists, entrepreneurs, students and industry leaders use cutting-edge technology, collaborate with top professionals and pioneers and transform ideas into tangible creations that shape the future of interactive media.

Silver convertible car in an XR Studio with a city street background displayed on an LED wall, surrounded by lighting and camera equipment.

Cleveland’s Hub for Creativity and Innovation

The IML isn’t just transforming education – it’s empowering students to shape Cleveland’s creative landscape. As the only facility of its kind in Ohio, it offers CIA students incomparable opportunities to collaborate, innovate and lead beyond the classroom.

Tour the IML

Schedule a tour to explore technology and discover possibilities at our new Interactive Media Lab(IML).

Schedule A Tour

For industry partners, the IML offers:

Flexible space rentals for projects and research
Access to top-tier equipment and resources
Training sessions, guided experiences, and consulting
A launchpad for new ideas and business innovations

Support, explore, and create at CIA’s Interactive Media Lab – where vision meets technology.

Operation: Blast Off

Operation: Blast Off is a proof-of-concept short film that follows a little girl’s journey from her backyard to outer space—made entirely in this state-of-the-art facility! From full-size sets to virtual production, this project shows what’s possible when imagination meets technology.

News + Media

See more news

CIA students stand in front of the Interactive Media Lab's XR Studio screen.

University media centers bring creative tech to the community

April 29, 2026

Cutting-edge digital production centers—like the Cleveland Institute of Art's Interactive Media Lab—form bridges between students, industry and local neighborhoods.

Kenny Crumpton interviews a CIA student in the IML's XR Studio.

Kickin' it With Kenny: Interactive Media Lab

January 27, 2026

Kenny Crumpton explores the Cleveland Institute of Art's Interactive Media Lab.

Step inside the future: CIA’s Interactive Media Lab opens in Midtown

July 15, 2025

Innovation is getting interactive at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s new Interactive Media Lab—where students of today are building tomorrow in real time.

Operation: Blast-Off launches learning, creating at CIA’s IML

November 18, 2025

A young girl peers through a telescope with her mother by her side, when suddenly, the world transforms and our heroine is transported to outer space. She bravely pilots a futuristic spaceship through an asteroid field and around other planets, soaring through a faraway galaxy.

A CIA employee operates a camera while two other employees stand in front of a large screen in the XR Studio.

Cleveland Institute of Art hopes $13M media lab sparks creative, business growth

June 4, 2025

The IML is positioned to become both a teaching facility and a creative hub for the region, serving as a “welcome mat” to collaborate with CIA on new, novel technologies.

A person stands in front of a large screen while a second person operates a video camera.

Cleveland Institute of Art unveils Interactive Media Lab, hopes to spur creative and economic development

June 11, 2025

The IML explores immersive experiences and includes multiple studios and creative spaces, including an arcade, multi-format screening room, image and data capture studio, rapid prototyping lab and innovation studio.

A digital black and white rendering of our new XR studio. It displays the huge LED backdrop and inlaid, along with cameras, lighting and other equipment.

Cleveland Institute of Art’s new Interactive Media Lab aims to position school at forefront of art, design and tech

January 1, 2025

Recognizing the increasing overlap between art, design and technology, the lab aims to position CIA at the forefront of these fields, offering students cutting-edge tools while forging partnerships with like-minded organizations and the community.

Cleveland Institute of Art announces $35 million Transformation Campaign

November 6, 2024

Comprehensive campaign will significantly support five impact areas that bolster the College's mission and drive its academic offerings in art and design; $27 million in gifts and commitments already secured

A collage of headshots of Kathryn J. Heidemann, Steven Gutierrez, Kipum Lee, Jennifer van Dijk and Irina Zavatski.

Cleveland Institute of Art to host panel that explores technology's role in art, design and the creative economy

October 18, 2024

Industry leaders will offer their perspective in advance of the opening of CIA's Interactive Media Lab and as the College launches the public phase of its Transformation Campaign.

Cleveland Institute of Art student's mural selected for Cleveland Foundation's Warren E. Anderson MidTown Collaboration Center

June 15, 2023

Aniyah King’s “Growth From Within,” will be installed at the Cleveland Foundation’s MidTown Collaboration Center when it opens in 2025.

Bendis represents CIA, Interactive Media Lab on global stage

June 12, 2023

Jared Bendis ’04 is no stranger to innovation, and in February, the Cleveland Institute of Art’s chair of Game Design took his expertise to the LEAP Tech Conference in Saudi Arabia—putting him, CIA and the city of Cleveland on an international stage.