Cleveland Institute of Art, NYC-based Flux Factory announce Regional Artist Mobility Program

Image: Visitors enjoy the Cleveland Institute of Art's annual Faculty Exhibition in Reinberger Gallery. Selected CIA faculty members will spend six weeks working in New York City-based Flux Factory as part of the new Regional Artist Mobility Program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2025

CLEVELAND—The Cleveland Institute of Art, an independent nonprofit college of art and design, and Flux Factory, a New York City-based arts organization, are excited to announce the Regional Artist Mobility Program (RAMP), a partnership that creates a new residency exchange program between the two institutions. Artists who participate in the inaugural artists-in-residence will be featured in an expansive group exhibition in 2026 at CIA's Reinberger Gallery.

Two CIA faculty artists will spend six weeks in residence at Flux Factory in summer 2026 and two Flux Factory community artists will be in residence for six weeks at CIA in early fall 2026. These residency exchanges support the professional development of New York and Ohio artists, facilitate creative dialogue and build cooperation among artists from different regions of the U.S. The exchanges also will expand learning opportunities for Ohio and New York artists and audiences.

"This partnership with Flux Factory through the Regional Artist Mobility Program is an exciting investment that offers CIA an opportunity to strengthen relationships with New York-based arts organizations, provide our faculty with time and support to develop their work in a new environment, and foster connections between our Cleveland community and artists in NYC," says Nikki Woods, CIA Director of Exhibitions + Galleries. "I hope this exchange seeds lasting relationships, supports great art and inspires future collaborations for years to come."

The Flux Factory residency will provide selected CIA faculty members with unparalleled opportunities for professional development as they explore New York’s art institutions and galleries, meet their NYC colleagues, create new work and share their practice at Flux. Similarly, two NYC artists will spend six weeks at CIA, where they will become acquainted with the Cleveland arts community, meet with students, create new work and share their practice with the local community.

"The Regional Artist Mobility Program addresses increasing regional divisions and decreasing opportunities for artist mobility within the U.S. through residency exchanges with artist communities across the country," says Susan Katz, Flux Factory Program Director. "The Flux-CIA exchange facilitates skill and knowledge transfer and collaboration between New York and Ohio artists through a cross-institution exchange of ideas and scholarship that increases awareness for both. We look forward to bringing Cleveland and NYC artists together to share ideas, collaborate and develop new strategies to build a dialogue with local communities about sustainable relationships to our physical environment that advocate ingenuity and unity."

Flux Factory and CIA will organize public programs, including the group exhibition scheduled to open in November 2026 in Reinberger Gallery. The exhibition will feature the participating exchange artists and others and will be co-curated by Woods and Flux Factory Curator and Exhibitions Director Meghana Karnik. Both organizations will promote exchange activities on social media and their websites to facilitate greater interregional exchange and dialogue.

Participating exchange artists will be announced by February 2026.

The Regional Artist Mobility Program is made possible with the support of The Kettering Family Foundation.

Contact

Cleveland Institute of Art
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 600 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. 

Reinberger Gallery

Reinberger Gallery, led by Director of Exhibitions + Galleries Nikki Woods, serves artists at all stages of their careers by supporting the creative work of professional artists and serving as an educational resource for Cleveland Institute of Art students, faculty and community members. It provides quality exhibition opportunities in its 3,000-square-foot space located on the first floor of CIA’s George Gund Building and encourages artistic growth and experimentation through well-presented exhibitions, events and lectures.

Flux Factory

Flux Factory’s mission is to support emerging artists through Artist-in-Residencies and Exhibitions, education and collaborative opportunities. Flux is an artist-led space that builds sustainable communities and retains creative vitality in NYC. Since 1994 Flux has hosted over 300 Artists-in-Residence, both local and international, as well as staging over 700 exhibitions across all disciplines. Flux’s home in Long Island City is a creative hive that incubates experimentation with collaborative processes. Flux Factory regularly hosts international artists and currently has two studio locations in Long Island City, which can accommodate up to 22 artists. Flux Factory is supported with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, NY Department of Cultural Affairs, and numerous other international and U.S. foundations.