Cleveland Institute of Art student mural highlights underrepresented influence of Black diaspora in Cleveland during The Great Migration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2025

CLEVELAND—Ashton Burton, a senior Painting major at the Cleveland Institute of Art, is honored to announce “A Fostered Future,” a mural that highlights the underrepresented influence of the Black diaspora in Cleveland.

“A Fostered Future” will honor and illuminate the impact of the Black diaspora during and after The Great Migration, specifically focusing on Black Americans’ place in shaping, building and revolutionizing cities like Cleveland. Despite facing harsh residential segregation and systemic discrimination, Black individuals and families persevered, creating new opportunities not only for themselves but also for future generations. Their hard work and determination laid the foundation for the thriving, diverse urban landscape present in Cleveland today.

“This project holds deep personal significance for me. My dad's parents came up from South Carolina to move to Detroit. My grandfather worked in the Ford plants, so he's an example of someone who during The Great Migration was seeking a better opportunity up north,” Burton says. “But also, I firmly believe my mural's importance will extend far beyond me. I know that this is a shared experience for many people with a similar background, whose relatives came from the South and were seeking better opportunities for their families.”

The unveiling of “A Fostered Future” will take place at 1:30pm Saturday, September 27 at the Shaker Historical Society Museum (16740 South Park Blvd., Shaker Heights). It will occur during the historical society’s annual AppleFest, which lasts from noon to 4pm.

“This mural is a powerful tribute to the often-overlooked contributions of Black Clevelanders to the history of Cleveland, the Terminal Tower and the rapid transit system that helped Shaker Heights thrive in the early 20th century,” says Brianna Treleven, Shaker Historical Society executive director. “We’re thrilled to partner with Ashton to share this story with our community in such a visible and lasting way.”

The composition of the mural will commemorate the past, acknowledge the present and look toward the future with hope and pride. It will serve as a tribute to the legacies built by everyday people, celebrating their strength, resilience and contributions to the city's cultural and economic fabric.

It represents a shared history—not just Black American history, but Ohioan and American history. By visually marking this pivotal chapter, the mural invites reflection, recognition and celebration of those who, in migrating from the oppressive conditions of the South, actively resisted racial injustice and helped build vibrant, resilient communities in the North.

In telling their stories, this mural becomes more than public art, transforming into a community monument that honors the past while inspiring a more inclusive and aware future for Cleveland and beyond.

To learn more about Burton’s Creativity Works project, visit his artist website or follow him at @ashton.l.burton on Instagram.

This mural project was supported by the Creativity Works Internship program at the Cleveland Institute of Art and was made possible by the generous support of the Fenn Educational Fund and the G.R. Lincoln Family Foundation.

Contacts

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

Shaker Historical Society
Brianna Treleven, Executive Director
director@shakerhistory.org / 216.921.1201

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. 

Shaker Historical Society

The Shaker Historical Society is a non-profit organization established in 1947 to provide stewardship for our region's significant history by nurturing respectful discovery, preservation, collection, and public dissemination of the history, traditions, and heritage of the North Union Shaker sect, Shaker Heights, Warrensville Township, and the surrounding areas.