Civic Studio Artists
Claire Wagner
Claire is a member of the studio’s marketing team, and her artistic practices include but are not limited to acrylic painting, print and digital media, and digital art. Her current favorite monument is the Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio because it represents the landform and memorialization aspect of what monuments can be. Claire’s hope for the studio and the New Monuments Initiative is that they get Cincinnatians excited for and involved in the future of monuments and representation of history.
Lexi Spurlock
Lexi Spurlock loves to work with a variety of artistic mediums, but she can commonly be found creating maps and plans for her Urban Planning classes. Her favorite monument is the Arc de Triomphe because she loves the story of its creation and the significance it has on Paris’s culture to this day. Lexi hopes to uplift a variety of voices within Cincinnati and discover who the people of Cincinnati really are through the New Monuments Initiative.
Caitlyn Hyland
Caitlyn is a sophomore art major with concentrations in printmaking and design with a minor in arts management. Her favorite monument is Artworks’ mural downtown titled, “Connected Through Generations”. Her hope for the civic studio is to create a space where those of marginalized voices feel recognized in the community.
Madison Lentz
Madison Lentz is a multi-faceted artist who likes to work with oil paints, trash, or leafy plants. Her favorite Cincinnati monument- the Muse of Clifton- takes a traditional bronze sculpture but makes it more captivating. Her hope for this studio is to promote issues of social justice and equity that have historically been ignored in Cincinnati.
Emilee Taylor
Emilee Taylor is a local multimedia artist with skills ranging from murals to NFTs. Currently studying Blockchain Technology at UC, she also works with the CryptoEconomics Lab creating educational video content to help improve adoption of cryptocurrency. Her favorite Cincinnati monument is not a typical one, but the installations and projections of BLINK inspire her to keep innovating. She would like to see more digital arts like AR/AI in a new monument.
Aspen Stein
Aspen is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the liminal aspects of self, identity, and public presence. These three things often interact within public spaces, so they are excited to take part in this initiative. One of their favorite monuments is “Food is Our Love Language”, a mural on the side of Saigon Market which is one of the oldest Asian grocers in Cincinnati. They joined the New Monuments Initiative to help develop more inclusive public spaces that are more representative of Cincinnati.
Eve Miller
Eve is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus on investigating the complexities of nature and dreamscapes through illustration, patternmaking, and collage. Her favorite monument is the Fallen Astronaut located on the moon, honoring those who have died in space. Her hope for the Civic Studio is to redefine what a monument can be, and to use public art as a way to memorialize local stories that haven’t been given the recognition they deserve.
Zero Pruitt
Zero Pruitt is a young aspiring artist who is currently studying fine arts at Art Academy of Cincinnati as a freshman. His practices include street style cartoon characters, photography, digital collages, painting, and drawing. His favorite monument is the Owl’s Nest Pavilion.
Karla Batres Gilvin
Director of Community Impact
As Director of Community Impact at ArtWorks, Karla (she/her) is responsible for all projects, initiatives, and events focused on creative placemaking/keeping, community outreach and engagement strategies, place-based work, and public art consulting, education, and community planning. Karla Batres Gilvin moved to Cincinnati in 2011 to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Art Academy of Cincinnati (2015). While there, she acted as a coordinator for the Community Education Department, instructed art classes for Camp Art Academy, and met her future collaborator and life partner Bradly Gilvin. Subsequently, Karla taught undergraduate fine art classes and co-founded the art collaborative Batres Gilvin, while obtaining a Master of Fine Arts in visual arts from The University of Cincinnati at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (2020). In 2020, Batres Gilvin was presented an Emerging Artist Jump Start Award by ArtWorks. In turn, Karla co-facilitated Give A Minute Cincinnati, a Greater Cincinnati community arts project. Additionally, Batres Gilvin co-created Artworks’ first mural-in-the-round, Casa Colina, and was awarded the Artist-in-Residence at the Contemporary Arts Center and The ArtWorks V² Gallery in 2021. Prior to joining ArtWorks, Karla was the Community Programs Administrator at the Contemporary Arts Center where she worked with artists and organizations to research and develop community-focused programs. As a practicing artist, educator, and community arts facilitator Karla believes in art as a tool for connection. She values the importance of collaboration, an awareness of intersectionality, and an emphasis on accessibility + inclusivity.
Asha White
Civic Artist-In-Residence
Asha is an artist, entrepreneur, and arts educator. Her work centers her personal identity as a queer African American woman, exploring social justice themes such as race, sexuality, women’s rights, and mental health. Her primary medium is oil on canvas; however, she enjoys working in a variety of disciplines allowing the message to dictate the creative form. With her work, she strives to unite diverse populations through shared experiences and common narratives to facilitate understanding and promote change. She does this by connecting with the communities, giving voice to marginalized people by positioning their voices so that they may be heard by non-minority audiences.
The New Monuments initiative will aim to reimagine and rebuild commemorative spaces that celebrate and affirm the historical contributions of the many diverse communities that make up Cincinnati and the United States. Contact asha@artworkscincinnati.org with any questions or comments you would like to share!
