Watch Our Language

Work by Ryan Kreitzer

Twenty-seven students in CIA's visual arts majors present Watch Our Language, a multidisciplinary exhibition that explores our individual perceptions of the many examples of language.

Watch Our Language will be exhibited in Brett Memorial Hall, located in the Cleveland Public Library Downtown Branch. Join us for an opening reception from 3 to 5pm on Saturday, April 16. The exhibition will be up until April 25.

The term “language” is expansive. Artists in the exhibition have created work that examines diverse concepts of communication, like physical touch, body language, sign language, emotional expression, and written language, creating artworks in many visual forms: sculpture, drawing, painting, fibers, and more.

Elena Flores, a participant in the exhibition suggests that “Language is the first form of advanced communication, and language presents itself in multiple sensory forms. We are using work that explores the concept of language, which is body language, love language, writing language. The library holds the documentation of language over human history. It is a database of human connection in accessible forms, so it is a very appropriate venue.”

The exhibition is the capstone project in the Cleveland Institute of Art’s the Role of the Artist as Producer course, taught by Amber Kempthorn and Jessica Pinsky. Participating students are juniors representing four departments: Drawing, Printmaking, Sculpture + Expanded Media, and Painting. Students collaboratively execute this project while practicing professionalism and gaining knowledge useful to working artists.

Participating artists are

• Alison Alsup
• Casey Benetz
• Bentley
• Nicole Carroll
• Oliver Chapman
• Liv Conway
• Elena Flores
• Erika Greer
• Frank Hadzima
• Erjon Hajnaj
• Adrian Holt
• Ronnie Jackson
• Ryan Kreitzer
• Bonnie McCormick
• Crystal Miller
• ShaDonnah Miller
• Celia Pelfrey
• Siyin Peng
• Jordi Rowe
• Thomas Smith
• June Solis
• Alex Vlasov
• Caro Volny
• Derek Walker
• Alexa Wehrman
• Cierra Weissmiller
• Zoe Welch

For more information, visit the exhibition on instagram @watchourlanguage.