The Cleveland Institute of Art’s Fireside Chat is a series of fun and insightful conversations between some of the most interesting creative thinkers we know.

Please join us for the next Fireside Chat, which will feature porcelain sculptor Kimberly Chapman, a 2017 CIA alum, and ceramic artist William Brouillard, who taught at CIA for more than 30 years. The two will recall their CIA experiences, share their thoughts on ceramic art and discuss their artistic practices during the event, which begins at 6pm Thursday, March 25.

This event will be hosted on Zoom. To receive a link, please contact Stephanie Klem via email or by calling 216.421.7415.

Kimberly Chapman grew up in Ohio and, after decades working in the marketing arena, enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art. There, she was awarded merit scholarships, and upon graduation, won the school’s most prestigious prize while becoming a proud grandmother. Her snow-white sculptures, with unusual textures and purposeful stretch marks, focus on universal cruelties and injustice through the female lens.

Chapman has been included in dozens of curated and juried shows since her 2017 graduation from CIA. In 2020, her solo show, hush., opened at the John J. McDonough Museum of Contemporary Art in Youngstown, Ohio. Solo shows are booked for 2021 at the Mansfield Art Gallery in Mansfield, Ohio and the Coburn Gallery in Ashland, Ohio, and her work will be featured in curated exhibitions throughout the country.

William Brouillard arrived in Cleveland in 1980 after finishing a three-year residency at the Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina. He taught Ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art for 36 years and now works full-time in his studio in the city’s Tremont neighborhood. His studio work is in a variety of clays and mixed media. He uses the potter’s wheel as his primary fabrication tool.

Brouillard earned his BA from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and his MFA in Ceramic Art from SUNY-Alfred State. His work is represented in several state, national and international collections. Awards he’s received throughout his career include the Cleveland Arts Prize (2009) and the Design Award for Excellence in Design from the American Craft Museum (2010). From CIA, he’s earned the Schreckengost Award for Teaching (2006) and Award for Excellence (2015).