Heidemann is also focused on the bigger picture
about how arts can have a transformative effect on spaces, places, and
community. A Detroit native who lived in Pittsburgh for 17 years, she confesses
her love for the Rust Belt and she has seen firsthand the role arts can play in
revitalization efforts.
“I have really always been a strong advocate for how arts and culture can
play a role in the reinvestment and revitalization of cities,” says Heidemann. “I’ve
seen that in a lot of the places that I’ve lived. And I think that there’s a unique
story in Cleveland to tell; arts and culture is a really powerful vehicle to do that.
CIA is very well positioned to help be a conduit for some of that change.”
Placemaking, or the strengthening of connections between people through
shared spaces, is part of how CIA engages with Cleveland itself. CIA and its
students have long worked with community partners.
“It’s been a really big part of our student experience and their learning
experience,” says Heidemann. CIA students each complete an “engaged practice
requirement” through which they work with nonprofit partners or other members
of the Cleveland community to do a project in art or design, depending on their
field of study. Recent projects include illustrating posters for the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame induction, working with the RTA on their Holly Trolley, and creating
art for Stella Maris addiction recovery center.
It means being part of the community, says Heidemann. “We’re teaching our
students that they’re not just artists and designers. They’re active members of
the community. The world is much bigger than themselves.”
As an organization, CIA is intent on cultivating the same kind of
collaborative, engaged approach – and, particularly, advancing diversity and
equity. That commitment is paramount, says Heidemann, and not just as a highlevel
pledge in CIA’s strategic plan. The college is committed to operationalizing
that goal in both practical, everyday ways such as choosing a local Blackowned
catering business, as well as larger scale efforts like fulfilling a diversity
commitment for the syllabus of each and every class.
Heidemann is hopeful that she and her colleagues will soon be able to focus
less on Covid-19 and more on these forward-looking plans for CIA. Pandemic
response has been consuming, but not so much that Heidemann hasn’t been
able to enjoy life with her family in the Boulevard neighborhood of Shaker
Heights.
When Heidemann and her husband Jonathan were deciding where in the
Cleveland area to move their family of four, an engaged, diverse community
was her focus. In the end, says Heidemann, they didn’t consider living anywhere
but Shaker Heights. It was the proximity to University Circle, the diversity in
the community and schools, and the walkability of the neighborhoods that won
them over.
“This was a slam dunk for us. It r eally aligned with our values and how we
like to live and with our kids. They have a lot of autonomy, walking to places
and doing things with their friends on their own. And we’re right off the Rapid
too, which has been fantastic.” Shaker, she says, has been
“a phenomenal experience.”SL
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