OUR ARTISTS
Leslye Arian​
https://www.leslyearian.com/​
Leslye Arian is an artist, arts advocate, and community activist dedicated to advancing public art in Cleveland. She serves on the Cleveland Institute of Art Alumni Board and the Artist Archives of the Western Reserve Peer Review Committee. In 2015, she launched the Cleveland Heights Public Art Mural Project and co-founded the Shaker Community Gallery in 2016 to foster economic growth in the Van Aken District. A member of the Shaker Heights Public Art Committee, she has helped guide numerous public art initiatives. Leslye co-chaired the 2018 Cleveland Institute of Art Alumni Show, exhibited in the CAN Triennial, and has work in juried shows as well as corporate and private collections across Cleveland. Her practice reflects a deep commitment to community and the power of art to create lasting impact.
Thalia Arias​
Thalia Arias is a Puerto Rican ceramicist based in Cleveland. She works mainly with functional vessels. Her work is heavily decorated with imagery in the style of graffiti and doodles which is influenced by her childhood and early adulthood in Puerto Rico. Thalia received her BFA from Kent State University in 2021 and has been practicing ceramics for 8 years. She even has two pet rabbits and is an avid D&D player.
Alison Brady​
https://www.alisonbrady.com/​​
Alison Brady is an artist from the slightly tattered outskirts of Cleveland, Ohio, and the image of faded middle-class “coziness” is one that lies at the heart of her photos. Brady exhibits nationally and internationally and her work is featured in many private and public collections such as Elton John’s collection and the West Collection. Her work has been featured in publications such as New York Arts Magazine, Time Out NY and the New York Times. She was named one of the top emerging artists in the world by Saatchi Gallery. She holds a MFA in Photography, Video, and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts (NYC).
Leigh Brooklyn​​
https://www.leighbrooklyn.com/​​
Leigh Brooklyn, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, earned her degree in Biomedical Illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2011. After working with hospitals, museums, and research facilities, she shifted her focus to street photography, gaining inspiration in places like Skid Row and downtown Los Angeles. This led her to explore figurative art, and in 2019 she began learning sculpture, fabrication, and welding, earning her lifetime certification in 3G MIG welding. In 2023, she also began an apprenticeship in traditional and modern stone carving and masonry. Brooklyn has received numerous national and international awards for her art since 2004. Her work has been displayed in galleries, museums, and fairs across the country.
Adam Brumma​​​
Adam Brumma is a resident artist at Artful Cleveland. He explores traditional paper folding techniques and cutting-edge 3D printing. He participates in various festivals and maker fairs, such as Ingenuity Fest, Cleveland Makerfaire, and CMA Mix, where he showcases his work and engages with the community. He has also taught in schools throughout Cleveland, such as Rainey Institute. He continues to inspire and educate, sharing his knowledge and passion for origami and 3D printing with the community.
Jen Craun​
Jen Craun holds a BA in Art Education (2000) and an MFA in Printmaking (2003) from KSU. Based in Cleveland, she is a printmaker, mixed media artist, and creator of artist books. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Craun works with nonprofits, arts education groups, and the Cleveland Public Schools. She also coaches artists in professional development. Her work is produced in her home studio and has been exhibited nationally and internationally, with pieces in notable collections like The Cleveland Clinic Foundation and The Vern Riffe Collection. Formerly the Associate Director at Zygote Press, she remains deeply connected to the arts community. Craun is passionate about her hometown of Cleveland and strives to stay optimistic, supported by her family and creative endeavors.
Chris Dodson​
Chris Dodson is a ceramic artist with a BFA in Ceramics from Ohio State University. Chris moved to Old brooklyn and began working as the Ceramic Lab Tech for Art House in 2015. He helps to manage the clay studio and teaches pottery classes for teens and adults. He also works with a group of artists to run wood firings in Ravenna, OH. Inspired by the vessel form, Chris explores the organic architectural, and tactile qualities of clay. His favorite companions are Lemy and Floyd, a charming Heinz 57 and a feisty Chihuahua.
Dylan Eddy
Dylan Eddy, a Cleveland Heights, Ohio native, earned his BFA in Jewelry + Metals from the Alberta College of Art + Design in Calgary in 2012, studying under renowned jewelers Charles Lewton-Brain and Jeff de Boer. He furthered his education in blacksmithing at the Touchstone Center for Crafts. Dylan has taught art and jewelry for over 10 years at ACAD, Flux Metal Arts, and Art House, Inc. His work has been exhibited in Canada, the U.S., and Japan, drawing inspiration from archaeology, mythology, and epic literature like Beowulf and The Lord of the Rings. Influenced by Celtic, Norse, and Japanese aesthetics, Dylan explores themes of time, identity, and cosmology through jewelry, metals, textiles, drawings, and paintings, always emphasizing enduring craftsmanship and authenticity.
Marjorie Falk
Marjorie Falk has always loved colors and drawing, starting with organizing her grandmother’s button collection and coloring by the heater (ruining the carpet with melted crayons). In kindergarten, her teacher called her an artist, and the dye was cast. With degrees in art history and printmaking, her first job was teaching a parent-child art class at the Smithsonian. She has since taught in museums and schools for over 40 years. Currently, Marjorie teaches and volunteers as a docent at the Cleveland Museum of Art, creating fused glass jewelry and wall art. When she's not working with glass, you'll find her baking delicious desserts or pulling weeds!
Sheree Ferrato
https://www.veriteglass.com/sheree-ferrato
Sheree Ferrato opened Vérité Stained Glass Inc. in 1994, specializing in stained glass and offering workshops. With 26 years of teaching experience, Sheree focuses on art education, working with organizations like The Center for Arts Inspired Learning. She also teaches in local schools, helping students explore the arts. Sheree’s artwork is displayed in the community, including at libraries, hospitals, and cancer centers. She earned her credentials from the Cleveland Institute of Art and studied with renowned artist Narcissus Quagliata in San Francisco. Sheree continues to expand her portfolio while encouraging others to immerse themselves in the art of stained glass.
Tanya Gonzalez
https://www.instagram.com/artfrommyheartltd/
Tanya Maria Gonzalez is an interdisciplinary artist from Cleveland, Ohio, with 29 years of experience connecting with communities through her art. Her work speaks with a unique and fluid voice, reflecting the soul of a person. While attending the Cleveland School of Arts, Tanya discovered her passion for teaching, leading her to start her own business, Art from My Heart LTD, in 2017. As an art instructor for various Cleveland organizations, she collaborates with other artists in the area to bring the power of art to all parts of Cleveland, using it as a tool for beauty, ingenuity, and change.
Rahamel Hughes
https://www.rahamelhughes.com/
Rahamel Hughes is a fiber artist and children's book illustrator specializing in upcycled denim, acrylics, and wool felt. With a passion for sustainability, she integrates eco-friendly materials like paint, paper, and cardboard into her work. Rahamel encourages children to explore alternative art forms that minimize waste and water usage. Her creative journey began with felt educational tools and has expanded to fine art and performing arts. Her upcycled denim art is displayed at Framed Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, where she now lives. Rahamel’s work continues to inspire young minds, using storytelling, eco-art practices, and captivating book illustrations to engage children.
Joyce Morrow Jones
Joyce Morrow Jones is a mixed media fiber and textile artist and professional storyteller. She encourages the "art of story" for all ages, with stories providing the context for her work. Joyce’s preferred materials for her classes are paper, scissors, and glue, believing these three open endless possibilities for creating art, such as dioramas, shadow boxes, paper dolls, and sculptures. She primarily uses repurposed materials, including tissue paper, paper bags, cardboard, boxes, foam core, handmade papers, and craft paper.
Jo Lefebvre
Jo Lefebvre is an artist from Oberlin, OH, known for her creativity across a variety of mediums. From a young age, she expressed her artistic flair by painting anything she could, from bedroom walls to furniture, clothing, backpacks, and shoes. She has taught at Arthouse for 4 years, focusing on ceramics, collaborative art pieces, and murals. Jo is passionate about teaching kids the power of creativity and the importance of community. She is also the artist behind Jo-made Intentions Crystal Jewelry. Her two greatest accomplishments are her daughters, Penny and Josie. When she’s not teaching, Jo can be found at home creating alongside her girls.
Wendy Mahon
Wendy Mahon is a visual artist originally from Trinidad, who earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida. She has created murals, batiks, costumes, and chalk drawings for various institutions, including the Cleveland Museum of Art and Playhouse Square. Wendy’s artwork has been featured internationally in festivals across India, Trinidad, Tobago, and the U.S. Her work also includes public art projects at MetroHealth Medical Center, Boys Hope Girls Hope, and Cleveland School of the Arts. In addition to creating art, Wendy provides art therapy to patients at MetroHealth Hospital and integrates visual arts into school curriculums across Northeast Ohio.
Jan McAndrew
Jan McAndrew received her BFA - Fibers/Printmaking/Art Education from Ohio University and her MA - Education, from Kent State University. She worked in manufacuturing for 13 years as a mechanical drafter. She taught Pre-Engineering for 10 years and Visual Art for 10 years at Lakewood High School and Harding Middle School. Her creative work was shared with Ingenuity Fest, The Starwood Festival, Cleveland Steampunk Union Community, Tribe Ostara Tribal Belly Dance, Parma Fine Arts Council, and Art House and its outreach programming. She loves to share visual art and multiculturalism with performance and mixed media in all her classes.
Heather Molecke
Heather Molecke is a sculptor, installation artist, and educator who currently resides in Cleveland, OH. After graduating with her MFA in Sculpture from Louisiana State University, she opened Studio Molecke and the Peanut Gallery in Cleveland. Heather’s artistic practice is based on social alienation and the feeling of being an outsider. She has incorporated an ontological philosophy that is dedicated to examining the reality and nature of discarded objects. She rescues things and assigns them new environments and relationships, thus giving voice and meaning to abandoned materials.
Chudney Patterson
https://www.behance.net/ArtofOchachee
Chudney Patterson, a passionate cartoonist, began her art career at 16 when she won Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid Comic Contest. Since then, she’s focused on Cartooning, Illustration, Character Design, Visual Development, and Storyboarding. Chudney’s work is known for its bold colors, dynamic shapes, and ability to create relatable, memorable characters with a sense of humor. Her goal is to design characters that connect emotionally with audiences. In addition to her professional work, Chudney is developing a series of Christian Comics to inspire others in their walk of faith.
Angelica Pozo
Angelica Pozo, a New Yorker of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent, has been creating public art for over 30 years. She earned her MFA from the University of Michigan and her BFA from Alfred University in New York. Her works range from murals to sculptures, often memorializing people and places. She has contributed to projects like the aviation history exhibit at Cleveland Hopkins Airport and a memorial to Councilwoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Angelica’s art has also celebrated neighborhoods in Cleveland, including Fairfax and Westpark. Her most recent project was creating tiles for the Jesse Owens Memorial Plaza. She is an author, lecturer, curator, and has been an Artist in Residence in various programs. Awards include the Ohio Arts Council and Art Midwest Fellowships.
Miranda Reynolds
https://craftyworldentertainment.com/
Miranda Reynolds is always trying to get crafty. She loves the messy tables overflowing with arts and craft supplies, but her favorite art medium is fuse beads. Miranda uses fuse beads to create stunning portraits. She has been teaching after school art programs and crafty workshops in communities of Northeast Ohio for 4 years. Coming from a large family, she spent most of her days growing up entertaining her younger siblings. Her family is used to her bringing crafts for the kids instead of food to cookouts. When she's not spending time crafting with friends you can find her on some adventure exploring parks, creeks, or any hidden gems in Ohio.
Meri Ruble
https://www.instagram.com/supinetree_art/
Miranda Reynolds is a craft enthusiast who loves working with fuse beads to create intricate bead portraits. She has been teaching after-school art programs and crafting workshops in Northeast Ohio for 4 years. Coming from a large family, Miranda spent her childhood entertaining her younger siblings and is known for bringing crafts to family gatherings instead of food. When she’s not crafting, you can find her on adventures exploring Ohio’s parks, creeks, and hidden gems.
Ron Shelton
https://ronsheltonartstudios.com/
Ron Shelton is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a BA in Cinematography. He has been selected as one of nine Circular Ambassadors for Circular Cleveland, working to promote a Circular Economy by reducing waste. Ron has collaborated with Cuyahoga County’s Solid Waste Management and the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, earning recognition as one of Cleveland's Black Sustainability Leaders. Over the past five years, he’s focused on creating large-scale plastic installations and 3-D art, exhibiting in national and international platforms like CAN Triennial and Firefish Festivals. As the founder of High Art Fridays, a nonprofit, Ron addresses social, historical, and environmental issues through art, education, and community engagement.
Guy Vincent
Guy Vincent is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans mixed-media painting, public art, and digital media. His art has gained recognition in the U.S. and Europe, with exhibitions in Italy, Germany, and France. His work is included in collections like the Museum of Contemporary Art in Spoleto, Italy, and SAP America in Philadelphia. Vincent has earned two Individual Artist Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council. He is also the creative force behind Infinite Twelve, a music project that blends alternative rock, ambient soundscapes, and rhythmic patterns for a transformative experience. As a committed educator, Vincent facilitates art programs for incarcerated individuals, public safety departments, families of homicide victims, and other underserved communities, using art to inspire creativity and healing.
Gina Washington
https://www.ginawashington.net/ginawashington
Gina Washington, a Cleveland native, holds an MFA in Photography from Ohio University. She describes herself as "A Child of the Universe," dedicated to connecting artists and creating art "by any means necessary." Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2023, Gina was selected by Mayor Bibbs to join the Transformative Arts Committee, where she works to reshape Cleveland’s arts ecosystem. She is the founder of Mateza Gallery LLC and co-founded The Visit Arts Collective. Gina is also a member of the selection committee for the Oscar®-qualifying CIFF. Her mission is to bring clarity and solutions to the world’s chaos through art and make it accessible to all, especially the disenfranchised and underrepresented.
Eileen Whitacre
https://www.thepainterstudio.com/
Eileen Whitacre’s art is a reflection of the world as she sees it, surreal and in motion. She find life’s offerings, beyond all other challenges it may face, a gift to be adored and transformed into a compilation of visual experiences. Pondering the connectivity of Earth’s elemental properties to each other is an amazing puzzle to decode within her paintings. Eileen is grateful that teaching art allows her to give students the ability to do this, too.
Rebekah Wilhelm
https://www.rebekahwilhelmstudio.com/
Rebekah Wilhelm is a professional installation artist and printmaker. Her work is concept-based and is mostly produced through installation and print. She has shown her work in multiple groups and curated shows, as well as traveling portfolios both nationally and internationally. She has traveled to Germany and Taiwan for residencies and has appeared in multiple group shows internationally. Rebekah specialized in green printmaking and is involved in researching and developing green practices in printmaking.
Natalie Williams
https://www.creativemessstudio.com/
Natalie Williams is a Cleveland-based artist and teacher. She received her BFA in 2010 at the Cleveland Institute of Art with a focus in Drawing. She is currently a painter, mural artist, and digital creator. She is also an owner of Creative Mess Studios, a mobile art studio that hosts workshops, classes, after-school programming, team building events, and private parties.
Chi-Irena Wong
https://www.chi-irena-wong.com/
Chi-Irena Wong, a 2020 BFA graduate from the Cleveland Institute of Art, is based in Cleveland, OH. She specializes in watercolor drawings and public installations that explore a fantastical world, filled with play, humor, and absurdity. Through her work, Chi challenges perceptions of reality by presenting a world that seems normal but is, in fact, quite absurd. She invites viewers to question their understanding of reality, asking, “Is the world we live in actually the absurd one?” Chi has collaborated with organizations like MoonCat Boba Cafe, Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland Metroparks, and Case Western Reserve University. She is also part of Summa Health’s private Healing Art Collection.
Mark Yasenchack
Mark Yasenchack, a Biology graduate, discovered his passion for ceramics in his final year of college. Initially focused on glazed, wheel-thrown pieces, he evolved toward creating hand-built vessels and, eventually, mosaics made from clay fragments and tiles. Mark's work combines his interest in new materials and techniques like collage and encaustics, while integrating words, prose poems, and text fragments from old books to explore personal themes. As a queer artist, Mark’s experience has made him more conscious of the underrepresentation of certain groups in the Cleveland art community. He works to make his art inclusive and to address his own biases. As a co-owner of Gallery 202, Mark and his partners focus on exhibiting work from misrepresented and underrepresented artists.
Christine Young
Chris Young creates acrylic, mixed media, and 2D/3D art inspired by everyday life. As an educator, her work sparks imagination and guides others on their creative journeys. Combining her passion for art and teaching, Chris loves to experiment with unconventional methods, often using textures and layers. She works with found objects like old cupboard doors, ceramic tiles, and mirrors, transforming them into jewelry or mini sculptures. Chris enjoys working with bold colors and complementary combinations, often leaning toward an abstract or impressionistic style. Her business allows her to help others while also expressing herself. With over 40 years in education, Chris loves seeing the light bulb go on when people learn something new. Her passion for her community drives her work with local artists and small businesses.