Visual & Performing Arts

Program Description

The Cleveland Institute of Art

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The Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) offers one of America’s most comprehensive educational programs in the field of visual arts.

Drawing, color, design, art history, literature, and digital art classes make up the core curriculum of the Foundation. Both traditional and conceptual approaches to drawing and painting are emphasized. Composition, design theory, and the organization of 2-D and 3-D space are the focus of design classes. Art history includes the Paleolithic era through contemporary works of the late twentieth to early twenty-first centuries, which are discussed in the last semester of study. The contemporary writings of each era are studied in the literature classes, which encompass composition and critical analysis of those works. Digital art courses are required and serve as an introduction to both the Macintosh platform and the use of graphics software as a tool for art and design. Foundation students take an open environmental elective, which helps students make informed decisions, based on experience, regarding which major they wish to study during the later years of their education.

Each major at CIA is categorized into one of four environments—visual arts and technologies, design, material culture-craft, or integrated media. Cross-discipline study is an integral part of the curriculum. Regardless of their major, all students take courses outside their discipline, and everyone graduates with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree.

Liberal arts electives continue to play an important role in a student’s development as a professional artist or designer during the later years of study. An array of subjects in the humanities and social sciences are offered each term. The structure of the program ensures a broad distribution by requiring students to pursue advanced studies across six areas.

The culmination point of the program is the B.F.A. thesis exhibition and review. During this requirement for graduation, the candidates present their work throughout the school and receive formal critique by peers and faculty members. Much of the final year is spent independently preparing for this review, much the same way that one would prepare work for an agency or develop a body of work for a gallery show.

Program Facilities

 Individual studio spaces are provided for all majors. The facilities at The Cleveland Institute of Art include big, bright, professional art and design studios. Available to students are high-output printers; woodshops; darkrooms; a foundry; Macintosh, Silicon Graphics, and IBM computer labs; printmaking equipment; glass furnaces; metal lathes; milling machines; kilns; critique spaces; and the Jessica Gund Memorial Library.

Faculty, Resident Artists, and Alumni

 Studio faculty members are practicing artists and designers. Their work can be found in national and international, public and private collections, including the Hirshhorn Museum; the Corcoran Gallery; the Library of Congress; the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D.C.; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Photography in New York City; the Cleveland Museum of Art; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Liberal arts faculty members are historians, poets, and researchers. The Visiting Artist program offers learning through the firsthand experiences of prominent artists. Alumni work in a variety of art fields at distinguished institutions and industry leaders, including Fisher Price, General Electric, Disney, Yale University, Rubbermaid, Mattel, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, General Motors, and American Greetings.

Student Performance and Exhibit Opportunities

 The Cleveland Institute of Art offers generous student gallery space, library gallery space, the annual Student Independent Exhibition, and various local restaurants, coffeehouses, and galleries.

Special Programs

 Students attending The Cleveland Institute of Art have the opportunity to participate in the New York Studio program, extensive internship opportunities, cross-registration with other colleges and universities, intensive summer workshops, and liberal arts tutoring. Biomedical art students work with the medical and dental schools of Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. A wide range of study-abroad opportunities are available.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen and transfers: continuous. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, minimum 2.0 high school GPA, 2 letters of recommendation, SAT or ACT test scores, slides or CD of portfolio. Recommended: interview. Auditions held 1 time. Portfolio reviews held bi-monthly on campus.

Undergraduate Contact

Mrs. Sheila Wendeln, Interim Director of Admissions, The Cleveland Institute of Art, 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44106; 216-421-7422, fax: 216-754-3634.

Graduate Contact

Dr. Gary Sampson, Director of Graduate Studies, The Cleveland Institute of Art, 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44106; 216-421-7369, fax: 216-421-7438.