Alumni

For over 135 years, the Cleveland Institute of Art has produced amazing artists and designers. How do we know? Our graduates have produced artwork that can be viewed at some of the world’s most prestigious art museums. And, we’re sure at some point, you have used a product that one of our design alums has created.

As a CIA graduate, you automatically become part of CIA’s Alumni Association and have access to a variety of resources to jump-start or further your career. You can reconnect with fellow alums at events held throughout the year.

Share Your News

Have news you want to share with the CIA community? Tell us and we’ll help get the word out: contact the Alumni Office at alumni@cia.edu. Find out what fellow CIA alumni have been up to, what’s happening around campus, or share your news in CIA’s Link Magazine, via link@cia.edu. And you can sign up for the monthly e-newsletter at alumni@cia.edu.

Career Services

Get resume writing tips and other career advice through CIA’s Career Center. Or, learn how you can host an internship for a current CIA student.

Order Transcripts

To order a transcript, you can visit our online ordering site. For more information about transcripts, visit the Registrar's Office webpage.

2021 Alumni Exhibition: Imprint the Air

The Cleveland Institute of Art and the CIA Alumni Council proudly presented the 2021 Alumni Exhibition, Imprint the Air, which was on view from June 4 to August 13 in Reinberger Gallery. This juried exhibition showcased work by CIA alums from different graduating years and artistic practices, and it offered viewers the opportunity to learn more about the college and its influence on the artistic vocabulary of the region. The exhibition can still be viewed online at ciaalumni2021.com.

Imprint the Air featured work by the following artists: Barbara Bachtell, Bob Bruch, Debrah Butler, Stuart Cantor, Danny Carver, Kathleen Cerveny, Michael Cirelli, Kristen  Cliffel, Hadley Conner, Nora Corcoran, Danielle Doré, Pat Fallon, Kevin Geiger, Scott Greenlee, Toby Griffiths, Emily H. Phillips, John Hrehov, Lauralee Hutson, Brooke Inman, Tina Janek, Gwendolyn Kerber, Anne Kmieck, Branden Koch, George Kozmon, Mark Krieger, Ron Krygowski, Lynne Lofton, David Menke, John O'Connor, Kiara Pelissier, Dawn Petrill, Barbarita Polster, Kelly Pontoni, Laura Reed, Catherine Reitz, Georgio Sabino III, Alexander Sierputowski, Samantha Stumpf, Mel Tearle, Michael Tharp, Erykah Townsend, Kathryn Vajda, George Vlosich III, Thomas Waski, Chi Wong, Jill Yanik, Andy Yoder and Alyssa Ziemba.

• 1st Place Prize: Kristen Cliffel '90 for "Groundwork"
• 2nd Place Prize: Erykah Townsend '20 for "Reminder"
• 3rd Place Prize: Chi Wong '20 for "Honey Goldfish Tea"
• Ulmer & Berne Award: Michael Tharp '70 for "She"
• Alumni Council Award: Alyssa Ziemba '17 for "Fiorella's Dress"
• Honorable Mention: John Hrehov '81 for "Dahlia Web"
• Honorable Mention: Branden Koch '01 for "Stimulus #2"
• Honorable Mention: Kiara Pelissier '00 for "Aqua Blue Crumple"
• Honorable Mention: Barbarita Polster '10 for "Night Lines (Language into Space), Rogers Park, Chicago"
• Honorable Mention: Catherine Reitz '20 for "Abundant Fields"

Meet the Juror

The juror for this year’s show was artist and curator Emily Carol Burns, the founding editor and director of Maake Magazine and founding director of Maake Projects. She has organized a wide range of single-artist and group exhibitions, including Linger Still, a solo show of work by Kaveri Raina at Assembly Room in New York, and Biophilia, a group show at Unpaved Gallery in Yucca Valley, California. She has been invited as a visiting curator at BRIC Brooklyn and the NARS Foundation in Brooklyn. As an artist, her work has been featured in media such as Beautiful Decay, Hi-Fructose and Juxtapoz. Read more about Burns here.

In addition to jurying the show, she provided an exhibition title and a short statement offering insight about the selection process, her interests and professional background, alongside perspective on the state of contemporary art.

Alumni Council

The Alumni Council is made up of volunteers who communicate with CIA leaders and pursue a mission to sustain and build a network of alumni with a lifelong connection to the College. The Council is committed to sharing ideas and establishing opportunities for alumni involvement by producing events such as the alumni exhibition. The Council fosters ongoing relationships with students, faculty and staff, and works to build a strong relationship between alumni and CIA.