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Degree BA, Cleveland State University
Karen graduated with a BA in Art, with a concentration in Painting, and focus in Art History, from Cleveland State University. Karen worked at several galleries in the Cleveland area, then at the Cleveland Museum of Art in the Development Department before starting in the Admissions office at CIA in the Fall of 2008. Over the past several years, she has participated in local group shows, including St. Clair Superior Development Corporation’s Public Art Projects and Sparx City Hop; as well as having attended numerous gallery openings and museum events, and supporting the local arts scene.
Karen values the Cleveland artistic community, and helping students prepare for the admissions/portfolio prep process for admittance into the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Degree BFA, Cleveland Institute of Art
Davon Brantley (he/him), based in Cleveland OH, graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art obtaining his BFA in Drawing. After graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2018, Davon wanted to completely immerse himself in what it is like to be an “Artist,” going into teaching, curating, exploring different mediums (outside of drawing and painting), exhibiting his work and mentoring emerging artists. While gaining these experiences, Davon’s goal is to change people’s perception about what it means to choose art as a career and to live from that career. Being able to show people the many paths that you can take in order to get to where you need to be!
Yvette Sobky Shaffer most recently served as the Director of Admission at Parsons School of Design at The New School. An Ohio native, she began her career as a student tour guide at Bowling Green State University while completing her undergraduate studies in Liberal Studies and Fine Art Photography. She earned her MFA in Writing from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.
She has more than 25 years’ experience in higher education admission at institutions ranging from St. John's College, the Great Books College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Otis College of Art and Design. Her experience at Otis was formative, and she rose from an Admissions Counselor to the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. During this time, the institution doubled in size, onboard important services, and graduated diverse students into successful careers in the arts.
As a first-generation college graduate, she is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion—and to finding “right fit” institutions that create pathways for students to dream big.
Degree BFA, Cleveland Institute of Art
Daly Horton graduated with her BFA from the Life Sciences Illustration department at the Cleveland Institute of Art in May 2024. She continues to practice her science/anatomy, painting, graphic design, and ceramics skills. Daly has shown at Cain Park’s Feinberg Gallery in Cleveland Heights and at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Student Independent Exhibition. She loves how strong the science and art communities of Cleveland are and values their intersection.
Amirah Cunningham is a conceptual visual artist. Working primarily with themes related to mass incarceration, identity, race and freedom. She was born in Cleveland, OH and attended the Cleveland Institute of Art. Cunningham received a BFA in both Drawing and Printmaking, and has since shown work at the IPCNY in Manhattan, NYC.
The aesthetic of her work is driven by pattern and symbols. The artist often uses a tally mark pattern as a symbol of time and bondage. At times paring the tally with images of the human figure to convey an idea of the modern American condition related African Americans.
