Hamilton, Ohio –If you’re looking for the Fitton Center’s development manager, good luck.
Arnita Gunn won’t be in her office.
In fact, “The less we see of Arnita the better,” Executive Director Ian MacKenzie-Thurley told the team during a recent Fitton Center staff meeting.
Wait … what?!?
Settle down. Maybe we need a little context before somebody gets the wrong idea.
Because if Arnita isn’t in her office, she may well be in yours. Or meeting you for lunch. Maybe connecting after work for a drink or getting together before work for a cup of coffee.
Armed with the hot-off-the-presses 2023-2024 Fitton Center sponsorship brochure, Arnita stands on the front line of building community. Of inviting people to be part of what makes Hamilton one of the up-and-coming cities others across the country try to emulate.
The arts.
“It’s important because I get to share what we’re going to be doing at the Fitton Center next season,” she said. “Without our sponsors and donors, we can’t accomplish what we’re trying to do, whether that’s with our shows, our education offerings, our galleries or our outreach programs.
“People can share in what we’re building and be a part of making this a vibrant community for everyone. People are going to be blown away when they see what we’re doing. It’s a very diverse season, a lot of different genres. When I say there’s something for everybody here, I mean there is something for literally everybody. All ages, all descriptions, all walks of life.”
That diversity of artistic expression is vital.
“There are so many places in this brochure that people can see themselves,” Gunn said. “The arts are for everybody and we’re trying to give everybody a seat at the table.
“Right in their own community there are opportunities to be part of what makes a community. The connections. The conversations. The shared experiences. The arts are an amazing vehicle to drive all of those, to build those relationships that bring us all together.”
Less than a week into calling on potential partners, Gunn is encouraged.
“While I’m handing out the brochure to one person, I have other people coming up to me and saying ‘Hey, I heard you have this coming. That sounds amazing.’ So we’re getting that immediate feedback and we’re getting people excited and we’re getting people involved with things that are personal to them.
“The people who are sponsoring these events are doing their part to make sure we keep growing as a community. That’s something very special. I love having the opportunity to talk to people about our community.”
Interested in being part of the conversation. Reach Gunn by phone at 513-863-8873, ext. 115 or drop her a line at arnita@fittoncenter.org. She’s ready to talk.
“I find it kind of exhilarating,” she said. “I believe in what we’re doing at the Fitton Center, in the arts education we’re providing, and in the exposure to the arts that we’re giving to people who might not otherwise have a chance to see shows anything like what we’re bringing them right in their own hometown.”
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
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