Fundraising campaign aims to raise $1,000 by June 20 to benefit Canalway Partners
CLEVELAND – April 30, 2025 – Canalway has partnered with students from the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) to launch a limited-edition 2025 Spring T-shirt collection as part of a fundraising effort to support its mission. Featuring nine original designs created by CIA’s Advanced Studio Class, the shirts celebrate the nature, recreation, and history that define Canalway’s work across the Towpath Trail, Canal Basin Park, and other historic Cleveland landmarks.
The shirts are available exclusively through Canalway’s online store and will be printed and shipped on demand for a limited time. Proceeds from each sale go directly to Canalway, a nonprofit working to preserve and promote the region’s rich cultural and natural heritage. The campaign aims to raise $1,000 by June 20.
“The students’ work researching and understanding Canalway’s brand is apparent in their designs,” said Meghan Tinker Paynter, director of communication at Canalway. “Each shirt reflects a unique interpretation of who we are, resulting in a beautiful collaboration between rising graphic designers and our organization.”
The student designers include Sid Rogers, Alexandra N Miller, Jade W Popovitz, Linda A Gallant, Zoey A Washio, Megan K.R. Manns, Sam D Torok, Mia K Stutzman, and Zoe I Peenstra. The class is led by Katie Melnick, Professor of Practice in CIA’s Graphic Design program.
"Cleveland Institute of Art values collaborations such as this one because they so often represent significant win-win opportunities," said Michael C. Butz, CIA's director of college communications and external relations. "CIA students gain valuable, real-world experience by working with a partner organization and understanding its needs as a client, while meaningful projects such as Canalway's benefit from the creative vision those students bring to the design process."
In addition to T-shirts, select designs are also available on sweatshirts. All artwork remains the property of the student artists, who have granted Canalway permission to use their work through Spring 2025. This is Canalway’s second collaboration with CIA students. Last year’s solar eclipse T-shirt collection helped raise $3,000 for the non-profit.
To view the collection and support Canalway, visit canalwaypartners.com/support-us/the-canalway-store
About the Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland Institute of Art is a private, nonprofit college of art and design that has been the training ground for countless students who have gone on to make important contributions to the fields of creativity and innovation since it opened in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women. Its students have designed internationally recognized products, their artwork has been exhibited in major museums and private collections around the world, and their entertainment media has been enjoyed by audiences and game players for generations. It enrolls about 600 students nationally and internationally and has a faculty of about 100 full-time and adjunct members, all of whom are practicing artists, designers and scholars.