CIA student exhibition, ‘Watch Our Language,’ to open at Cleveland Public Library

April 16–26, 2022
Opening Reception: April 16, 3–5pm
Public Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10am–6pm
Cleveland Public Library Main Branch, Brett Memorial Hall, 325 Superior Ave. Cleveland, OH 44114

Twenty-seven students from the Cleveland Institute of Art are excited to announce Watch Our Language, a multidisciplinary exhibition that explores their individual perceptions of the many examples of language.

Watch Our Language will be exhibited in Brett Memorial Hall, located in the Cleveland Public Library's Main Branch at 325 Superior Ave., Cleveland. There will be an opening reception from 3 to 5pm Saturday, April 16. The exhibition will be up until April 26.

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.

This 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.

“Language is the first form of advanced communication, and language presents itself in multiple sensory forms,” says Elena Flores, a participant in the exhibition and member of the class’ curatorial team. “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.”

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 and Zoe Welch.

For more information, visit @watchourlanguage on Instagram.

CONTACT
Cleveland Institute of Art
Michael C. Butz, Director of College Communications + External Relations
mcbutz@cia.edu / 216.421.7404