News

At The Cleveland Institute of Art’s commencement celebration on May 15, 126 graduating seniors joined the ranks of more than 7,300 CIA alumni around the world.

Commencement took place at the John Hay High School Auditorium and featured an address by documentary filmmaker Catherine Gund.

The Institute extends special congratulations to the recipients of its President’s Traveling Scholarships. The Cleveland Institute of Art remains one of the few - if not the only - art schools to offer students scholarships upon graduation to fund travel and study related to their artistic interests.

The winners of the 2010 President’s Traveling Scholarships came from diverse majors: Communication Design, Biomedical Art, T.I.M.E. - Digital Arts, Jewelry + Metals, Illustration, and Photography. And they’ll pursue their art in Peru, Kenya, Tennessee, Maine, California, and Hungary.

Trevor Marzella-Sejnowski, Communication Design:
The First Agnes Gund Memorial Scholarship, $4500
Trevor plans to travel to Cuzco, Peru to extend his BFA research into our culture’s relationship to clothing. He will observe, study, and practice traditional Peruvian weaving, while exploring how the positive social aspects of Peru’s textile culture can be applied to our own.

Lauren Hemphill, Biomedical Art/T.I.M.E.-Digital Arts:
The Second Agnes Gund Memorial Scholarship, $4500
Lauren, along with co-award winner Alexis Hippler, plans to volunteer for “The Great Primate Handshake” expedition to Kenya’s numerous wildlife reservations, parks, and refuges. They will work collaboratively to create digital content to educate schoolchildren about monkey and ape species conservation.

Sarah Pierce, Jewelry + Metals:
The Third Agnes Gund Memorial Scholarship, $4500
Sarah intends to pursue the craft of blacksmithing by gathering inspiration from the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Nashville, then attending a two-week workshop at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. She hopes to transfer her skill in crafting wearable objects to the creation of large-scale, large-audience work.

David Sladek, Illustration:
The Helen Greene Perry Traveling Scholarship, $4000
David’s goal is to travel to California to learn firsthand about the entertainment industry and to form connections with industry professionals. Through this immersion in the California art culture, he will form the personal and professional connections necessary to launch a career as a professional animator, story director, and art director.

Alexis Hippler, Biomedical Art:
The Mary C. Page Memorial Scholarship, $3500
Alexis, along with co-award winner Lauren Hemphill, plans to volunteer for “The Great Primate Handshake” expedition to Kenya’s numerous wildlife reservations, parks, and refuges. They will work collaboratively to create digital content to educate schoolchildren about monkey and ape species conservation.

Lauren Juratovac, Photography:
The Nancy Dunn Memorial Scholarship, $3000
Lauren proposes to travel to the thermal spas in Budapest, Hungary to photographically document an event entitled “Cinetrip” in May 2011. Upon her return to Cleveland, Lauren hopes to create an installation at a local venue and ultimately submit a proposal to IngenuityFest.