Hamilton, Ohio – The halls were alive with the sound of questions when students from Miami University took a recent field trip to the Fitton Center.
Marketing Manager Mark D. Motz and Intern Riley Benoit – a Miami student herself - showed off everything from the basement to the (award-winning) bathrooms to the ballroom for a group of about 15 from Jennifer Purdum’s Community Arts class.
Along the way, the class got to see the Golden Tappers – the resident senior-citizen dance troupe – rehearsing in the theater and hear from Development Manager Arnita Gunn (a Miami graduate) about her path to working in the arts.
Purdum’s work beyond the classroom – a solo portion of the Human Nature/Class Act exhibition on display in the Bever West Gallery – also figured prominently on the tour.
“The Fitton Center has something for everybody,” she told her students. “You can learn a lot here. You can do a lot here. But this is a great resource for a young artist. Watch their calls to artists. Get involved. Submit your work. Maybe you’ll be part of a group exhibition. Over time you’ll develop relationships and develop your work. You’ll have more of it to share and you can apply for a solo exhibition.”
Purdum’s class isn’t alone. Students from Ross Middle School tour the Fitton Center Thursday, September 21, while the Hamilton Freshman School arrives with 60 students on October 11. Two other Miami University classes have tours on the books in the coming weeks as well.
The Fitton Center offers field trips and guided gallery tours free of charge all year. Do you have a student group that might like a tour of the facilities? A club that would enjoy an in-depth discussion of an exhibition? A civic organization looking for a new activity?
We’ve got you covered.
To schedule a group visit, please contact Director of Exhibitions Cathy Mayhugh by email at cathy@fittoncenter.org or by phone at 513-863-8873, ext. 122. While regular building hours run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10-5 Fridays, guests also may schedule visits outside standard operating hours by mutual consent.
“We love hosting group tours and field trips,” Motz said. “We have a lot of great art to share, terrific studio classrooms to show off, a number of fantastic performance spaces. We want people to see what we do here and how they can be part of the Fitton Center community.”
The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.
Building Community Excellence through the Arts and Culture
Comments