Student, alums showcase work at Miami Art Week’s Prizm Art Fair

While most Cleveland Institute of Art students worked on their end-of-semester projects and studied for exams in early December, Theadis Reagins ’26 was packing his bags for Miami Art Week.

Reagins was one of eight Northeast Ohio artists—a group that also included four CIA alumni—selected to participate in the prestigious Prizm Art Fair as part of a City of Cleveland-led initiative to showcase the city’s exceptional artistic talent. The Painting and Printmaking major recognized this opportunity as an invaluable jumpstart to his career.

“To have my work shown at Prizm Art Fair and a part of Miami Art Week meant a great deal, especially introducing myself as an artist on a global stage and showing I have a place in the larger art world,” Reagins says. “It gave me a chance to get out of my bubble and experience the other side of pursuing a stable studio practice. It comes with a set of new eyes and new expectations that will follow me into other opportunities.”

A cornerstone in the global contemporary art world and a cultural fête, Miami Art Week gives emerging and established artists the opportunity to collaborate, exhibit and promote artwork to collectors, dignitaries and art lovers at little to no cost.

Prizm Art Fair, an exhibition within Miami Art Week, is dedicated to African American and Diasporan artists and offers a safe space to showcase cultural narratives, identity, social justice and the global Black experience.

“I am proud to be a part of such a great lineage of artists showing at Prizm and learning about its history and mission,” Reagins says. “I was inspired by the possibilities of how I can expand my practice further by absorbing some of the best work I’ve ever seen.”

Two of Reagins’ works were hand-selected by Prizm Art Fair founder and curator Mikhaile Solomon in response to the 2024 theme “Architecture of Liberation.” The two works are linocut prints on paper and highlight faith and knowledge of history as a catalyst for social improvement.

Solomon, who visited Cleveland in early 2024 to meet with artists and tour their studios, selected 20 works from eight local artists. The other artists included CIA alumni Mark Howard ’86, David Buttram ’89, Charmaine Spencer ’05 and Amber N. Ford ’16. Lawrence Baker, Antwoine Washington and Lauren Pearce rounded out the group.

“It was great to travel with them and reconnect with those I’ve already known and others for the first time,” Reagins says. “We all brought our own personalities, our own histories as artists and our collective experiences as human beings—and that’s how we bonded. It was natural. I’ve learned from them and they’ve provided valuable insight on where art leads you and the places you can go by honing your gift.”

Reagins was able to showcase his work in person thanks to a CIA scholarship. The College offers 11 traveling scholarships for both current and graduating students and was able to use one of those stipends to fund Reagins’ trip to Miami.

While Buttram couldn’t travel to Miami, he was honored to have his two paintings, “The Old Stone Church” and “Hebrews 10:25,” included in the fair. The two works were a part of his “Inner City” series and revolved around religion and worship, both integral parts of life in inner-city Cleveland.

“It was monumental. It meant a lot to me to be selected among so many talented artists,” says Buttram, a member of CIA’s Board of Directors. “It is always an honor to exhibit works on a global scale and beyond one’s own home area.”

Spencer shared how the Prizm Art Fair was more than just an exhibition—it was a pivotal moment in her artistic career.

She showcased two works, “Earth” and “New Growth,” which were the only two sculptures chosen from the Cleveland-based artists. Being among a global community of creatives offered her a fresh perspective not just on her own work, but on the art world as a whole.

“I learned a lot about how galleries represent their artists, what kind of materials they provide and how they position themselves within the art market,” Spencer says. “It really made me think about how I want to be represented moving forward. Whether it’s a group exhibition like Prizm or a different gallery, I now have a better sense of what aligns with my vision.”

The event also was a space for connection for the CIA alumni and Reagins, allowing them to form an unexpected but seamless bond.

“We clicked immediately,” Spencer says. “It was inspiring to see their work alongside mine and to realize that, despite differences in style and experience, we were all representing Cleveland in such a vibrant way.”

The artists’ experiences at Miami Art Week and the Prizm Art Fair have already sparked new goals, inspiring them to return to their studios energized with ideas to refine and pursue. Now, with this milestone under their belt, they’re ready to embrace the next challenge—whatever it might be.

As Spencer put it, “This was just the beginning.”

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Photo caption: Six of the eight Cleveland artists selected to participate in the Prizm Art Fair were able to attend during Miami Art Week. They were, from left, Lauren Pearce, Theadis Reagins ’26, Amber N. Ford ’16, Charmaine Spencer ’05, Antwoine Washington and Mark Howard ’86. Photo by Rod Deal.