Her Story
About Cheri
Cheri Charlton serves as assistant professor of illustration at the School of Visual Arts at Columbia College Chicago, where she teaches a course load of three classes per semester in fine art, traditional media, and illustration-focused commercial topics. She also maintains an active practice as a full-time artist and illustrator, with a primary focus on mural painting. Charlton earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts in painting and drawing followed by an MFA in fine art with a focus in painting. After moving to Chicago, she began with adjunct teaching and various jobs in retail, childcare, K-12 education, and freelance illustration before securing a full-time tenure track position at Columbia College Chicago approximately five years ago. Her artistic achievements include painting the second largest mural in Chicago, the largest by a woman, located in the South Loop. She developed a mural class at the college and has completed projects such as a mural for the American Consulate in Morocco celebrating the 200-year anniversary between Morocco and the United States. Charlton advises young women entering the field to keep at it without discouragement, find ways to inspire themselves, and seek initial jobs that do not exhaust their passion until they can work full-time in their chosen area.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cheri
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say keep at it, try not to get discouraged. Find ways to inspire yourself. In the beginning you will probably need another job to rely on, so try to find something that doesn't exhaust you so much that you don't want to do the thing that you're really passionate about until you get to that point where you can do that full-time.
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