​Community Gallery

Butler County youth capture photos of the people, places, and experiences they see as strengths and challenges in their communities.  You’re invited to discover the stories behind each image and learn from young people’s perspectives about what helps our communities thrive – and what gets in the way.

In partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Hamilton, Community Building Institute, Edge Teen Center, Envision Partnerships, Middletown Connect, YWCA Hamilton

This Photovoice Exhibition is made possible with support from the One Ohio Foundation and SAMHSA.

Selected drawings, sketches, models, photographs, and archival materials offer a portrait of SHP across 125 years of architectural practice. Founded in Hamilton in 1901, the firm has built a body of work rooted in the public realm—from libraries and schools to spaces for community and civic life. Bringing together artifacts from across the decades, the exhibition considers what endures and what changes: the evolving language of architecture, the tools and technologies of representation, and the ways architects and designers imagine, document, and shape the places we share.

It is not surprising that this show celebrates 150 wonderful artworks by 110 artists in the Fitton Center community.  The mosaics, pottery, paintings, prints, artist books and quilts by adult artists and mixed media works by children are just a sample of the full range of art you and your family can explore and create in Fitton Center classes and outreach programs and at associated community events.

Using large-scale portraiture alongside smaller ambiguous paintings, A Life Despite All manifests the relationship between the trans community and the anxieties surrounding it, creating a visible "dual state." This explores the relationship between a real living person and the intangible abstract ideas used to restrain one’s lived experiences – the reality of day-to-day existence and the unseen fears surrounding it. In this relationship, the ominous and uneasy imagery of the smaller abstractions hold little presence in comparison to vitality seen in each person's portrait. Meanwhile, each portrait depicts a simple and human moment chosen by the individual’s answer to the question: what everyday moment makes you feel the most human? Within these moments of cooking, working out, or just taking a break, there is a universal bridge between differing beliefs and opinions that is often ignored in our digital age. Despite all our differences it connects every one of us. And regardless of the struggles inflicted on the trans community through legislation or otherwise, it does not stop the trans community from living no different or a life than anyone else in their day-to-day, despite it all.

Stephen T. Badin High School Visual Arts Department offers an engaging, hands-on curriculum that leads students through a meaningful exploration of artistic media. Our program encourages creative expression, critical thinking, and a lasting appreciation for the arts. Visit our gallery to see their progress, about 300 artworks by 150 students highlight moments in their creative development and the many possibilities ahead.

In conjunction with The Newbees: Rock N’ Roll Revival

The artwork in this exhibition combines work collected from eight different Art II classes that take place at Hamilton City School District’s freshman campus building.

Art II is an art appreciation course where students explore the social and historical contexts of art making while developing the technical skills and vocabulary for art production and art aesthetics. Featured in this spring show are 530 works of art created by 200 students.

Connected is the fourth annual member exhibition supported by The Fitton Center featuring the work of the Women's Art Club of Hamilton. Comprised of a diverse group of local women, the club has grown steadily since its first meeting in May of 2022.

The artwork presented here displays the broad talents of over 40 local women artists in media ranging from watercolor and oil paintings to mosaics, fiber arts and more. This exhibit is a beautiful compilation of our artistic abilities, and we are proud and delighted to share our work with you. We believe art brings people together, and together we can have a positive impact on each other and on our city.

To learn more email wach@womensartclubofhamilton.com

Step into a world of imagination and creativity brought to life by the young artists of Boys & Girls Clubs of Hamilton as part of the Fitton Center’s Outreach Programming!

Under the expert guidance of Ms. Jennifer Hobbs, our members, ages 6 - 12, from the clubs at East , Grand, Highland, and Linden have poured their hearts and talent into these vibrant works of art.

Selected pieces from this collection will go on to shine on a national stage in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Arts Competition.

Made possible through the inspiring partnership between the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hamilton and the Fitton Center for Creative Arts.

This exhibition features artworks created by Libby DeFoor during their three-month artist residency with SOS ART and the Fitton Center for Creative Arts. DeFoor is a native of Cincinnati and holds a BFA in Sculpture & Intermedia and a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. Their work seeks to promote bodily autonomy and LGBTQ+ solidarity in the face of authoritarianism. Bodily autonomy is defined as the right to make decisions about one’s own body free from coercion, violence or control, including the right to an abortion or gender affirming care. The use of paper and cardboard emphasizes the fragility of power, as the artworks protest institutions that enact cruel legislation to restrict bodily autonomy, such as through the subverted form of a pillar or shredded legislative text. Accompanying these protest works is “HandWork,” an ongoing collaborative artwork that celebrates LGBTQ+ solidarity and the work that goes into protecting our communities.

As a part of their residency, DeFoor hosted a free community workshop: “Collage and the Body Politic.” Participants were asked to engage in a discussion on the role of politicized bodies in propaganda and create collage artworks that speak on this theme. Artworks created during this workshop will also be featured in the exhibition. Thank you to Cathy, Kat, Mary, Margo, Sarah, and Chelsea for their thoughtful discussion and artwork.

This exhibition of over 30 sculptures by 13 students presents works made during three specific class assignments.  Sculptures highlight a deep focus on woodworking, reconstructions of large pieces of furniture and sculptural self portraits in the form of shadow boxes.

During Erica’s residency, she developed a series of large-scale, floor-to-ceiling textile works that explore repair as a feminist and activist gesture. These tapestries are constructed from salvaged, discarded, and previously used textiles - stitched, patched, and layered into monumental forms that embody resistance to patriarchal systems and the devaluation of women’s labor.

Rooted in a feminist ethic of care and material reclamation, this project responds to the urgent need for sustainable, embodied, and collective approaches to making.

Additionally, Erica offered a collective mending workshop at the Fitton Center as part of her residency. This workshop resulted in a large-scale textile piece made from discarded fabric, also on view during this exhibition.

“Retrospectacle” invites you to experience the artistic journeys of Southwest Ohio Art Education Association members in an exhibition like no other. This “all member” show pairs childhood, high school, and/or college artworks from members’ earliest creative days with their bold, contemporary pieces, creating a striking before-and-after visual narrative of growth, exploration, and lifelong artistry.  The exhibition features 42 works in various media by 17 art educators.