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November 4, 2026
![Mike Butz headshot.]()
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2026
CLEVELAND—Rowan Booth, a senior at the Cleveland Institute of Art, presents Witness, a debut solo exhibition that features more than 20 paintings, prints and drawings in response to the social and political turmoil of today as viewed through working-class and ruling-class lenses.
This exhibition is the culmination of ideas and works that Booth has been working on and building since his sophomore year at CIA. Leaning into the absurdity of modern life, Booth’s work takes the form of social examination and critique.
"I think that sharing these works is important. They are confrontational and ask uncomfortable yet necessary questions," says Booth, who is studying Painting and Printmaking at CIA. "I think that this work expresses the way that I am feeling better than I could with words. I know that I’m not alone in these feelings, and I want viewers of the work to know that they aren’t alone either."
Witness opens from 6 to 9pm Friday, November 20 in the Oracle Gallery at SPACES (2900 Detroit Ave., Cleveland) and will remain on view through January 23, 2027. Opening and running concurrently in the Gund Gallery at SPACES will be In Dogs and Chickens We Trust, a two-person exhibition from 2016 CIA alum Chen Peng and Dino Takashi.
"SPACES is honored to be working with Rowan in preparation for this exhibition. His work is crucially relevant to today's political and social environments, and uplifts SPACES' mission by helping to create a more informed citizenry," say SPACES Executive Director Pita Brooks and Curatorial Coordinator Thea Spittle. "We are glad to be able to provide opportunities for real-world experience for emerging artists through programs like Creativity Works at CIA."
Witness was created through the Creativity Works program, which is made possible by the generous support of the Fenn Educational Fund and the G.R. Lincoln Family Foundation. Creativity Works is a self-initiated internship program with the goal of supporting students’ professional development. Participating students create proposals that align with their long-term professional goals.
Contacts
Cleveland Institute of Art
Michael C. Butz, Director of College Communications + External Relations
mcbutz@cia.edu / 216.421.7404
Michael C. Butz, Director of College Communications + External Relations
mcbutz@cia.edu / 216.421.7404
Cleveland Institute of Art
The Cleveland Institute of Art is a private, nonprofit college of art and design that has been the training ground for countless students who have gone on to make important contributions to the fields of creativity and innovation since it opened in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women. Its students have designed internationally recognized products, their artwork has been exhibited in major museums and private collections around the world, and their entertainment media has been enjoyed by audiences and game players for generations. It enrolls about 550 students nationally and internationally and has a faculty of about 100 full-time and adjunct members, all of whom are practicing artists, designers and scholars.
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