T.I.M.E For a Successful Career
"As The Cleveland Institute of Art’s newest major,
Digital Arts has the shortest track record of graduates
establishing successful careers. Yet almost eight years
after the program was launched in the fall of 2000, its
first few classes of graduates are already making their
mark in web design, interactive e-commerce, digital art
installations and the burgeoning videogame industry.
The full name of the major is T.I.M.E.-Digital Arts, for
Technology Integrated Media Environment, and its four
areas of emphasis are animation, game design, interactive
media and video.A Pilgrimage to an Art Career
Like Neff and Solary, Sarah Lohman ’05 had freelanced
all through CIA. Not afraid of adventure, she used the
Helen Greene Perry Traveling Scholarship awarded to
her at graduation to travel to Spain and hike the entire
500-mile pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela after
graduation. “I learned about this pilgrimage in a class
with (Liberal Arts Associate Professor) Charlie
Bergengren and I knew I had to do it.” Back stateside,
Lohman’s next adventure began when she became yet
another of many CIA graduates living in and around
New York City. She was hired as a general assistant in
the art department of New York magazine’s website.
“The reason they hired me was because I had a background
in a little bit of everything and they needed a
jack of all trades; but my focus in T.I.M.E. was in digital
photography and video.” She was promoted to video
producer, and worked with reporters on features including
a weekly “Video Look Book,” for which Lohman
filmed and edited interviews with fashionable New
Yorkers on the street talking about their personal style.
In February, Lohman took another leap of faith, leaving
New York magazine to freelance full time. “I have the ability
to make far more money freelancing. Opportunities opened up
right away, so I’m fairly confident about this move.”
If she needs moral support in this new phase of her
career, she knows she can turn to her CIA classmates.
“Kristen Baumlier really stressed that we needed to stay
in touch and support each other,” Lohman said of the
department head and associate professor. “Our class was
extremely motivated. I think that extremely motivated
people are drawn to T.I.M.E. To make it in this business
you have to have a lot of get-up-and-go, because there’s
so much competition for your job. T.I.M.E. gave us that
competitive edge you need. I really feel like I got a great
education at CIA.”
