Art for All
Hello! My name is Caitlyn Chellew. I am an illustrator, comic artist, and printmaker. My work addresses the complexities of identity and public perception through a feminist lens. I believe that art should be accessible for everyone, regardless of how much you make or who you are. Digital art and printmaking lends itself greatly to my goal of accessibility because I’m able to make multiple copies of a singular artwork that many people can enjoy. Diverse representation is important to accessible art because people are more likely to engage with art if they see themselves in it.
I was born and raised in Ames, Iowa, and I’m glad to call it my home. I graduated from Iowa State University’s College of Design in 2021 with a bachelor in fine arts and a minor in illustration. I graduated magna cum laude, and I received the AVC Janice Peterson Anderson Senior Award in 2022.
I’m currently publishing pages of my romance/drama webcomic Dear Samar on Webtoon.
My Etsy shop is open! You can now buy my large printmaking pieces at the Octagon Center for the Arts. I’m available for freelance work. For inquiries, please email me!
Member of SCBWI, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators since 2024.
Follow
Dear Samar Webcomic
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Private Commission
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Private Commission
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Iowa State University Sloss Center
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Private Commission
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Pearly's Printshop Logo
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Private Commission
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Private Commission
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Dog Eared Books Postcard
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Private Commission
Festivals, Exhibits, and Awards
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Upcoming and Current
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Past
Beautiful Land Market in Downtown Ames, Iowa
6/4/23, 9/3/23, 12/2/23, 6/2/24
9/25/22 Octagon Art Festival in Ames, Iowa
6/18/22 Art in the Park in Lanesboro, Minnesota
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Upcoming
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Past
Printing Workshop at the Jewell Public Library, August 15
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Upcoming and Current
2025 - Postcard Exhibit at Iowa State University, date and location tbd
2022 - Now Dog Eared Books, Ames, IA, Dog Eared Books, gouache painting.
Past
2024 Postcard Exhibit at Memorial Union, Ames, IA. Keep Your Policies Off My Body, relief print.
2023 Morning Bell Coffee Roasters Solo Exhibit, Ames, IA.
2023 Octagon Member Show, Ames, IA. The Fate of the Final Girl, screen print.
2023 Iowa State Fair Fine Arts Show, Macro, reduction relief print.
2023 Thunderdomesticity: Damsels vs. Distress, No. 7 Center Gallery, Vermillion, SD. Juried by Klaire Lockheart, a multimedia artist and Miss Art World South Dakota. Beautiful Defenses, relief print. The Gallery of Alternate Universes, digital print.
2022 Postcard Exhibition, College of Design, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. The Gallery of Alternate Universes, digital print.
2021 Reliable Street Pop Up Gallery Show, Lockwood Cafe, Ames, IA. The Woman // The Public, acrylic painting.
2021 Emergence: Integrated Studio Arts Senior BFA Exhibition, College of Design, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. The Woman // The Public, acrylic painting. Collection of Comics, compiled into a book.
2020 Studies in Creativity Student Juried Exhibition, Memorial Union, Iowa State University, Ames IA. Juried by Akwi Nji, an award winning multidisciplinary artist, writer, and performer. The Woman // The Public, acrylic painting.
2019 Studies in Creativity Student Juried Exhibition, Memorial Union, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Juried by Mary Jones, a multimedia artist and 2018 Iowa Arts Council Fellow. Self Portrait in the Style of Euan Uglow, acrylic painting.
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2024 Ames Human Relations Commission’s 50th Anniversary T-Shirt Contest
2024 Octagon Center of the Arts Featured Artist for May
2022 AVC Janice Peterson Anderson Senior Award, Iowa State University (ISU)
2021 Graduated Magna Cum Laude, ISU
2017-2021 College of Design’s Dean’s List, ISU
2017-2021 Academic Recognition Award, ISU
2017-2021 Cardinal Leadership Scholar II Award, ISU
2020 Peer Mentoring for Design Studies 131, ISU
2020 Janice Peterson Anderson Excellence Award and Scholarship, ISU
2020 Dean’s Charrette: The Future of Design Education, ISU
2019 Art & Visual Culture Chair’s Book Award, ISU
