Kathleen Cerveny is an artist, poet, grantmaker, and dedicated arts advocate whose work has had a lasting impact on the cultural life of Northeast Ohio. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art (BFA, Ceramics) and the University of Southern Maine (MFA, Poetry), she has exhibited her artwork locally and nationally and has long championed opportunities for artists and arts organizations. She served as President of Ohio Designer Craftsmen, was a founding member of an organization for the visual vrts, and became the first producer of arts programming for WCPN 90.3 FM. After 23 years as Director of Arts Grantmaking at the Cleveland Foundation, she retired having helped create the structure that led to county-wide public support for the arts. Appointed in 2013 as Cleveland Heights’ sixth Poet Laureate, the first city in Ohio to establish such a post, Cerveny developed innovative community writing initiatives, including “Poetweet” and the popular  “Ekphrastacy,” the latter continuing through Heights Arts. She remains an active voice in the region’s creative community.

We invite you to click the video link below to watch this engaging interview, where Cerveny reflects on her time with Heights Arts, shares stories from her tenure as Poet Laureate, and offers insight into the programs and partnerships that helped shape the organization’s vibrant artistic legacy.