Amber Kempthorn

Amber Kempthorn is an Assistant Professor in the Drawing department at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Her work focuses on exploring time and nostalgia through drawing, blending traditional and digital animation. She holds an MFA in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a Post Baccalaureate Certificate from Maryland Institute College of Art, and a BA in Art from Hiram College.

Key projects include Ordinary Magic: A Sunday in the Cuyahoga Valley, a series of animations paired with Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes, premiered with the Akron Symphony Orchestra in 2022. Her work has been featured in the Front International Cleveland Triennial and the Akron Art Museum’s More is More exhibition.

Awards include the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award (2019), a $54,000 Knight Foundation grant for her animation project, and teaching excellence recognition from CIA. Her practice merges classical music with visual art, emphasizing interdisciplinary storytelling.