Artist as Social Agent

The image of the starving artist working alone in a garret couldn't be further from the reality of the socially engaged artists and designers shaping American culture today. Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) shines a light on that reality during the 2014-15 academic year with a comprehensive focus on the role of art and artists in society. A key component of that focus will be the weeklong visit to CIA by Stephen G. Vetter, President & CEO of Partners of the Americas, an international nonprofit organization that connects volunteers, organizations, and communities in efforts to reduce poverty and improve the economic and social development of disadvantaged populations. CIA President Grafton Nunes will interview Vetter, examining the artist's capacity to promote social change. The discussion will also touch on the stories and experiences reflected in Vetter's book Soul Deep: The Power to Connect. Serve. Change Lives.

Vetter comes to CIA as a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow under the auspices of the Council of Independent Colleges. For more than 35 years, the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program has brought prominent artists, diplomats, journalists, business leaders, and other nonacademic professionals to campuses across the United States for substantive dialogue that creates better understanding and new connections between the academic and nonacademic world.