We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie Kluk a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

When creating Future Ink Graphics (FIG) I knew that I wanted it to be a community based and collaborative business. I wanted to provide opportunities to creatives who may not have had the same access to resources as other creatives in the field. When FIG was forming, a previous friend and colleague, Anne Kibbe, passed away. She was a print artist and mentor too many young, women printers. Her family saved all of the artwork she made, and equipment she collected over the years, and donated it all to FIG. Their trust in me was humbling and without her equipment, I may not have been able to get my business up and running. To honor Anne, her contributions, and her family’s generosity, I formed the Anne Kibbe Residency Program for Women. The residency program offers four months use of FIG’s facility, 14 hours of one on one training and a stipend for supplies to one to two creatives, who self identify as women, each year. In fall of 2022, the residency was launched with support from the Fowler Family Foundation and the Kibbe Family. Artist Nathalie Bermudez was selected and completed her residency in October. There are many projects that are meaningful to me, but the Anne Kibbe Residency Program for Women holds a personal connection and a desire to thank Anne for all she has done to hep me as an artist and entrepreneur.

Stephanie , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an artist and arts administrator with experience running all facets of a non-profit. My arts journey started after receiving my BFA in Photography from the Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, OH. After school I decided to move to Chicago, IL. to expand my knowledge of collaborative arts communities. While in Chicago, I exhibited my artwork throughout the city and worked as the Program Director for the Chicago Artists’ Coalition. In 2008, I moved to Cleveland and became the Program and Community Enrichment Manager at Art House, Inc. where I managed a variety of programs that included free art education classes for children and families. This is where my passion for arts education and mentorship truly formed.

I also helped develop a Program Coordinator position for Shore Cultural Center, and sat on the Board of Directors for the Cleveland West Art League (CWAL) for six years. In 2016 I became the Director of Operations and Co-Executive Director, respectively, of Zygote Press. In June 2020, I left Zygote to launch my own arts business, Future Ink Graphics (FIG), and worked as the Development Director for the Collective Arts Network (CAN) during that time.

In January of 2022 I left CAN to focus fully on FIG. Future Ink Graphics (FIG) is a makerspace for professional, emerging and student graphic designers, and digital and silkscreen artists. FIG provides space and equipment, along with educational programs, resources and mentorship to help develop and advance individual artists, with the goal of strengthening the larger creative community. FIG’s mission is to foster the development and advancement of Cleveland designers, artists and youth, bringing economic opportunities and arts education to the Clark-Fulton neighborhood and the Greater Cleveland community.

FIG is not a design firm or a large commercial printer, it is a business with a community focus that provides resources, opportunities, training and mentorship to creatives in and around Cleveland. FIG is committed to serving those in its own neighborhood, which currently has the largest Latinx population in the city. FIG seeks to act as a bridge for local creatives, a space to start to address inequities in creative fields and as an on ramp for self taught, creative entrepreneurs.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

For almost 20 years I worked for grass roots non-profit visual arts organizations. I worked with dozens of creatives and loved the work I did. But small non-profits are not designed to retain staff, they often underpay employees, most of whom are young women trying to get their foot in the door and continue to grow as creatives themselves. This has bred an environment of overworking, underpaying staff and leveraging one’s passion to justify low wages and long hours. The reason I did not create FIG as a non-profit was for this exact reason. I wanted FIG to model that creatives need and should be paid what they are worth. Arts is often seen as free. It is often provided “free” and its perceived value by some is low. In order to support artists and creatives we must recognize their value and the role they play in people’s everyday lives. We need to nourish their talent and retain creatives in the community. We need to invest in the creation of art and foster creative minds. We need to openly discuss the challenges creatives face and provide guidance and resources to them. I often get asked what I need to make my business successful. Success means different things to different people, but the answer I give, which I have heard over and over again, is financial support. Creating takes time. Time isn’t free. Artists and creatives should not be seen as that either.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is the freedom it provides me to be me. I get to celebrate being who I am, and I get to celebrate the wonderful people and talent I get to work with everyday. Being an artist has its ups and downs. Artists are either too busy or not busy enough but it’s the motivation and passion that makes it all worth while. I get to get up everyday and do something that I love. I get to challenge myself. I get to find inspiration from the artists and creatives that come into my studio. It’s the individuality that is so rewarding. And I get to show my children that their uniqueness is an asset and should be nurtured and encouraged.

Contact Info:

• Website: futureinkgraphics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fig_futureinkgraphics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100047850321697
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-kluk-2a736430/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueBnkFlUNg8
• Other: stephaniekluk.com

Image Credits
Yana Mikho-Misho