Cleveland Institute of Art recognizes Northeast Ohio teachers for their profound impact on high school art education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2025

CLEVELAND—The Cleveland Institute of Art announces its fourth class of Excellence in Teaching Awards recipients by honoring two educators from Cuyahoga County and one from Summit County.

Karen Mehling-Howson of Shaker Heights High School, Robert Pierson of Revere High School in Richfield and William Wilson of Westlake High School all inspired young artists and designers in their classrooms and demonstrated meaningful contributions to teaching to earn this recognition.

"Each year, our admissions team engages with thousands of high schools across the country, witnessing firsthand the transformative power of exceptional art educators. This year’s Excellence in Teaching Award recipients stand out for their unwavering dedication to fostering creativity, curiosity and artistic excellence in their students," says James Malley, director of Admissions at CIA. "Their passion not only prepares young artists for success at CIA and beyond but also elevates the broader arts community. We are honored to recognize their impact and celebrate the lasting influence they have on the next generation of creatives."

Mehling-Howson has always had a deep passion for art. She began her artistic journey in 1981 at Kent State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Painting. After spending a year working in a painting studio, she secured a position teaching art at Bellefaire JCB in University Heights, Ohio. While teaching, she pursued her master's degree at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art. During this period, her artistic focus shifted toward jewelry and metals. Mehling-Howson then taught art at Maple Heights High School for nine years. For the last 23 years, she has taught visual arts at Shaker Heights High School, where she has served as the head of the art department for the past decade, specializing in advanced jewelry, metals and International Baccalaureate portfolio class.

Pierson grew up in Bath, Ohio and has taught art at his alma mater Revere High School since 1995. Before teaching, he held a number of creative jobs that one could obtain with a fine arts degree from Kent State University. He created scenery at Carousel Dinner Theater in Ravenna, Ohio, and did display work for The May Company and Arhaus Furniture in Cleveland. He enjoyed the creative work and gained needed skills in those jobs and could have continued in the design business. However, he wanted more. He feels getting his teaching degree and obtaining a job teaching high school kids how to make art is likely the best decision he could have made. His years of teaching resulted in multiple awards at the local, state and national levels.

Wilson has been an art teacher at Westlake High School for the past 13 years. Before that he taught elementary art in the Westlake City School District for three years. He loves helping his students build skills, find their voice and develop opportunities to create a living from their art. He earned his BFA in Drawing and Painting from California State University of Long Beach and his master's degree in Arts Education from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Wilson is also a working artist, creating paintings and drawings that have been featured in a number of shows locally and nationally. He loves to fill his work with detail and whimsy in an effort to ignite the imagination and spread joy.

The honorees each received $500 and had their name added to a plaque on CIA’s campus.

Mehling-Howson, Pierson and Wilson join previous CIA Excellence in Teaching Award honorees:

• Elizabeth Bortz at Cleveland School of the Arts in Cleveland
• Sarah Curry at Charles F. Brush High School in Lyndhurst
• Cynthia Greene at Cleveland School of Architecture and Design at John Hay in Cleveland
• Dayna Hansen at Lakewood High School in Lakewood
• Mygenet Harris at Albert Einstein High School Visual Arts Center in Kensington, Maryland
• Michelle Kane at Mentor High School in Mentor
• Nancy Rich-Drehs at Heights High School in Cleveland Heights
• Amber West at Olmsted Falls High School in Olmsted Falls
• Dan Whitely at Orange High School in Pepper Pike

Educators who are considered for the Cleveland Institute of Art Excellence in Teaching Award are identified by CIA based on connections made throughout the recruitment cycle. Honorees are selected based on the outcomes of their students' portfolios as well as their commitment to providing access and opportunities for students to show their work and consider the best art colleges in the country. Three recipients are announced each year.

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.