Press Releases

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Ann McGuire
Director of Communications
amcguire@cia.edu
216.421.7417

CLEVELAND (Ohio) – A ceramicist who is also an industrial designer, an illustrator who loves character development, a well-published author with a sci-fi bent, and a painter represented by a New York gallery have all been appointed to faculty positions at Cleveland Institute of Art.

The new appointees promise to add additional depth to CIA’s “already strong and dedicated faculty,” said Christopher Whittey, vice president of faculty affairs and chief academic officer. “We are delighted and deeply honored to have four fantastic members joining the ranked faculty.”

Illustration

Jeff Harter takes on the role of assistant professor and Illustration Department chair after years spent illustrating and animating for two of the best-known arts and entertainment companies in the world: Disney and American Greetings.

At American Greetings, he worked extensively on alternative humor, and also developed an animated show for Disney XD, which drew on his childhood love for sci fi, cartoons and the original Star Wars.

At Disney he was tasked with making sure “the animation flowed perfectly” for central characters on several high-profile animated films, including Tarzan and Mulan.

Harter said his goal with students is to imbue them with a sense of “unstoppability, so that, no matter what happens to them while they are a student or a professional, they will get back up and try again.”

He earned both his BFA and MFA in Illustration, graduating from the University of Buffalo, and later from Syracuse University. He replaces Dominic Scibilia, a professional illustrator and 1972 CIA graduate who taught from 1984 until his retirement in May 2015.

Ceramics

Renowned artist and designer Seth Nagelberg has been appointed associate professor and the new chair of the Ceramics Department. He comes to CIA from Parsons School of Design, where he spent the past 13 years teaching industrial design.

A graduate of Hartford Art School (BFA) and Cranbrook Academy of Art (MFA), Nagelberg has been widely published in ceramics periodicals; his work has been exhibited across the country, and he has done consultation work for Rookwood Pottery and fabrication for Calvin Klein Collection.

Nagelberg was chosen after a search that included reviews of more than 50 portfolios, 13 extensive interviews, and visits to campus by the top three candidates, who came for intensive two-day workshops as well as interviews with all interested faculty and students.

“CIA is in the midst of a watershed moment in its physical facilities and its direction as an institution. The committee felt that Seth was the best fit for the future of the ceramics program, the Craft and Design Environment, and the institution,” said Professor William Brouillard, who chaired the search committee. “Seth’s interest in and experience in teaching ceramic design was a major factor in our decision along with his background in sculpture and 3D design.”

Nagelberg was “looking for a program where I could go back into a crafts or arts department, but that was willing to embrace what I was doing with design,” he said.

He replaces Judith Salomon, a widely collected artist who retired in May after 39 years of serving on the CIA faculty.

Liberal Arts

Christian Moody has been appointed assistant professor in English and creative writing. “A phenomenal writer, Moody joins an already top-notch Liberal Arts faculty, and we all look forward to his arrival," said Whittey.

Moody earned his MFA at Syracuse University and his PhD from the University of Cincinnati. His work has appeared in a range of literary journals including Esquire, The Cincinnati Review and Sonora Review, among others. His stories have been anthologized in Best New American Voices and Best American Fantasy.

Moody says he wants to help CIA students become good storytellers and communicators because these things will benefit both their own careers and the school’s goals.

Painting

Anthony Ingrisano, who was hired for a one-year appointment to the Painting Department last year, now joins the full-time faculty roster at CIA as assistant professor. Ingrisano taught at Briarcliff College for several years and was a contributing essayist to Sharon Louden’s book, Living and Sustaining a Creative Life. He earned his MFA from Pratt Institute and has gallery representation with Leslie Heller Workspace in Manhattan

Whittey said Ingrisano “will add greatly to an already robust and vibrant Painting Department that can boast a stellar history with its many successful alums.”

Ingrisano says his major goal is to “help students establish a real independent sense of creativity, so that once they’re outside of the school environment, they’re still very much part of the creative community.”

About CIA

Founded in 1882, Cleveland Institute of Art is an accredited, independent college of art and design with 15 majors in studio art, digital art, craft disciplines, and design. CIA extends its offerings to the public through gallery exhibitions; lectures; robust continuing education courses; and the Cinematheque, a year-round art and independent film program. CIA is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. For more information visit cia.edu.

#