About the Artist

James Schaffer is a multifaceted artist currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fines Arts in Drawing and Painting at the Cleveland Institute of Art. His work deals with the reclamation of the body and identity through an unapologetically queer lens, drawing from his own life as transgender.

Schaffer’s work has been exhibited at the Truman Brewery for the Visual Art Open in London, UK; the Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, MO; the Islip Arts Council in Long Island, NY; and the Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls, OH. His other honors include the LGBTQ+ Heritage Day Rising Leader Award, People’s Choice Award at the Visual Art Open, the Carl Gaertner ‘24 Memorial Prize, and the Dan Tranberg Memorial Scholarship.

He recently curated a group exhibition at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland called Everywhere, All at Once, featuring 28 transgender artists.