Spend your lunch hour hearing from Caroline Absher, Nate Cotterman, and Jewel Ham—this year’s Student Independent Exhibition (SIE) jurors—during Lunch on Fridays from 12:15 to 1:30pm Friday, February 21 in CIA's Peter B. Lewis Theater.
“The Forever Student”—moderated by Theadis Reagins, Committee Chair of SIE—will feature a panel of SIE 79’s jurors and three artists, who are current CIA students, in dialogue about their practices and experiences as artists working at different stages in their careers. This discussion is meant to encourage transparency towards success and break down hierarchies between “professional artists” and “students.”
The SIE Committee hopes the audience of emerging artists will leave feeling confident about the future of their endeavors by sharing a diversity of experiences that one might identify with. The title, “The Forever Student” encourages a continuation of curiosity and the exchange of knowledge and perspective from the artists before and after us.
Juror Bios
Caroline Absher
Earning both a BA in Art History and Painting from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Caroline Absher has established herself as a prominent figure in contemporary painting. Her work has been exhibited extensively in New York City at venues such as Fredericks & Freiser Gallery and The Journal Gallery. Internationally, her exhibitions include V1 Gallery, Copenhagen; Eighteen Gallery, Copenhagen; Loyal Gallery, Stockholm; lbf contemporary, London; Bode Gallery, Berlin; Green Family Art Foundation, Texas; Shrine Gallery, Los Angeles, among others. Absher has also participated in artist residencies such as the Macedonia Institute, New York, further expanding the scope and depth of her artistic practice. Absher's work has been acquired by the Portland Museum of Art.
In her work, Absher continues to explore the delicate balance between abstraction and representation, color and emotion, presence and absence. Her paintings invite viewers into a space of reflection, where the boundaries between the seen and the unseen blur, and where the quiet beauty of human connection is rendered in vivid, unforgettable hues.
Absher will exhibit at the Journal Gallery in Los Angeles in April 2025.
Nate Cotterman
Nate Cotterman is known for his modern interpretation of glass objects, using traditional Venetian glassblowing techniques, challenging low-end production with innovative design and handmade quality. He has created a line of barware, lighting, and home decor that is both subtle and powerful. His simple forms highlight the natural beauty of the material.
Nate graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA in Glass. He has worked as a gaffer for some of today’s top designers and makers. He is a sought-after instructor, having demonstrated across the US at institutions such as the University of Montana, Cleveland Institute of Art, Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Pilchuck School of Glass.
Jewel Ham
Jewel Ham is a multidisciplinary visual artist, curator, and educator interested in using her practice as a means of resistance. With attention to the unapologetic wit and innovation inherent to the Black interior, she approaches narrative portraiture as an act of resistance.
She is a Summa Cum Laude Fine Arts graduate from Howard University, with interest in reimagining liberation, particularly through lenses of wellness and embodiment. As a Taurus, her creative process is largely influenced by her interests in aesthetics, pleasure, and sensuality.
Jewel has had four solo exhibitions to date, all taking place in historical spaces within the Black community. Jewel’s work has also formally appeared in a variety of group shows, publications, and pop culture partnerships worldwide, including the likes of Art Basel, Jeffrey Deitch, Kavi Gupta, Essence, New American Paintings, Nike, New Balance, Donna Karan, and more. She continues to cultivate her creative practice in harmony with her community and personal alchemy.
Parking: Lunch on Fridays attendees may park in CIA's Lot 73 and Annex Lot, both of which surround our campus. Please note that signs posted around those lots correctly state that parking typically requires a CIA permit or visitor pass and that violators will be ticketed. However, to accommodate our valued Lunch on Fridays attendees, that policy won't be enforced during the program. Have questions? Please contact Reinberger Gallery at reinbergergallery@cia.edu or 216.421.7407.
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