Library Updates & News

Happy Holidays!

The archives has a collection of holiday cards sent from CIA and to CIA. Several cards from the archives are on display in the library and you should stop by to see the selections from this special collection of archival items. 

Here is an image of CIA's 1997 holiday greeting, designed by Polly DeHays, an illustration major who graduated in 1998.

This month's Flashback Friday is a photo of the library in the Gund Building on East Blvd. The library has lots of photos of the Gund Building. Stop by and ask to see what CIA was like not too long ago!

Today's flashback is this very cool ringer tee from the 2007 CIA Dodgeball Tournament. We especially love the bullseye target on the front. Would you participate in a dodgeball tournament today? 

Back in 1941, the women at CIA decided that it was more practical and comfortable to wear pants at art school and the men at CIA were not pleased. They "retaliated" by wearing skirts and this was published in a newspaper. Wow!

We are SO glad that no one cares what anyone wears at CIA now. 

Missing Pants?!

This amusing story about a robbery at the Cleveland School of Art (CIA's former name) ran on the front page (!) of the Plain Dealer on June 20, 1893.

If you have been in the library, you are familiar with our "little man" who sits by the New Books display. Sometimes, he is dressed up for a holiday or a special event at CIA. Well, he was originally a fountain created by Herman N. Matzen, a faculty member, and presented to the school by the Alumni Association. It was at the front entrance of the Juniper Road building. When the building was demolished in the mid-1950s, the fountain was moved to the library, where it has remained ever since! Today's Flashback is an image of the program for the 1918 dedication of the sculpture along with a picture of the sculpture today. 

Back in 1999 you didn't need to take the summer off from learning about art. You could attend workshops run by CIA in Durango, Colorado during the summer. It looks like a lot of interesting workshops were available in a beautiful setting.

Continuing Education classes have a long history at CIA. Summer CE classes start soon and in celebration of the beginning of a new CE session, we are sharing a lovely mailer from the 1961-1962 academic year. The classes are definitely different from the young artist classes we have now! 

World War II Correspondence

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that honors and remembers service members who have passed away while on duty. CIA and the library will be closed for Memorial Day so that we may honor every member of the CIA community who made that sacrifice. 

Several members of our community served in World War II and the archives has a collection of correspondence from those serving as well as updates sent from the school to let them know they were missed. It is some of the most interesting content in the archives. If you would like to learn more about this collection, please make an appointment to see the WWII Correspondence collection. 

1923 Commencement Program

Congratulations to the Class of 2023! We are so excited about your commencement on Sunday, May 21, 2023. 

While we wait for the ceremony to begin, here is the commencement program for the Cleveland School of Art's Class of 1923 - 100 years ago!

Flashback Friday: 1990 Traveling Scholarship Winners

For more than 100 years, CIA has awarded traveling scholarships to graduating seniors, enabling them to travel, research, and work on art & design projects. Currently, CIA awards six Presidential Traveling Scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $4,500. The winners are chosen from a group of 20 finalists and announced at the BFA Celebration. While we wait to hear who the winners for 2023 are, here is a photo from the archives of the winners from 1990.

(front row, left to right) Kristen Cliffel and Patricia Fields
(row 2, left to right) John Cupit, Kari Russell-Pool, Michelle Forst, and Ben Wearley
(back row, left to right) Brant Schuller and Billy Falin

FIN. 

BFA Week is a special time here at CIA. The Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis, required of every senior, is the capstone of the educational experience at the Cleveland Institute of Art. While it may be the end of their time at CIA, it's only the beginning of their life as professional artists and designers. 

Enjoy this announcement for the 2008 BFA Exhibition and be sure to visit the 2023 BFA Exhibition and wish our graduates the best for a bright future.