Stitching art and history together

Hamilton, Ohio – Some people follow a path that leads exactly where they intended to go.

For others, staying on that path may take them places they never imagined.

Meet Erica Fitzgerald.

The current SOS Arts Artist in Residence at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts grew up in suburban Columbus, Ohio. Some of her early artistic explorations began in middle school, backstage on the costume crew.

“I started in theater behind the scenes,” she said. “I loved seeing how things are made for a specific purpose. I loved the little details that might not even been seen by an audience, but are really necessary for the functionality of the piece or that might help the actor get a sense of their character.”

She stayed on the path but went beyond theater. She remembered her grandmother mending clothing by hand.

“It sparked a curiosity to do a deeper dive into some of these practices that are lesser known,” Fitzgerald said. Her path led to an associate of arts in communication from Columbus State. Then a BFA in sculpture and art history from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Earlier this year, she completed her Master of Fine Art in Studio Art (Sculpture) at the University of Illinois.

“My work is primarily fine art and fine craft and it’s been strongly influenced women’s labor and historical movements,” Fitzgerald said. “I feel like I’m pushing back against what’s broken and making something bigger out of the pieces left behind.”

Fitzgerald offers a free workshop for artists 18 and older as part of her SOS residency. The Mending as Monument workshop runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 20, at the Fitton Center.

“I’m teaching a generation of people who never got to mend a sock or a piece of clothing,” she said. “Women would come together to sew or knit or stitch or mend. There’s a real communal aspect to mending as art.

“We’ll go over the history of mending and a basic intro into the tools, materials and different stitches. We will stitch together with an emphasis on what comes together by being together.”

The piece created in the workshop will be incorporated in Fitzgerald’s end-of-residency exhibition in the Fitton Center Community Gallery, which goes on view in October. Her exhibition includes an opening reception Saturday, October 4, in conjunction with the Jazz & Cabaret series-opening performance – Giant Steps.

“I’ve done group shows with SOS, but this is my first solo exhibition with them,” she said. “This (residency’s) time frame kind of fit in for me after finishing my MFA. It’s nice to have a base - a focus for my work - and a place to share it.”

The Fitton Center for Creative Arts is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue on the Riverfront in downtown Hamilton, Ohio.

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