Oxford, Ohio – More than a dozen students and instructors from the Fitton Center for Creative Arts joined forces for an exhibition of printmaking at the Oxford Community Arts Center.
The Fitton Center opened its printmaking studio - Strongbox Press - in 2018. It features a built-from-scratch Takach etching press, auxiliary direct-drive miniature etching press and a laser cutter.
Strongbox offers classes, workshops and summer camps for students of all ages with an interest in making prints.
In the five years since opening, scores of Strongbox artists have honed and expanded their skills creating everything from cards and posters to t-shirts and entire portfolios.
Long-time instructor Billy Simms curated the Strongbox pieces for OCAC. “This exhibition is a selection of work created by the students who have taken the class,” he said in the artist statement for the show. “Students learn various printmaking processes such as monoprints, monotype prints, drypoint etching, silkscreen, relief printmaking, and mixed media techniques. Some students take the class once, and some take the class repeatedly and continue to develop their work.
“Printmaking at the Fitton Center would not have been possible without the commitment and hard work of Education Director Kate Rowekamp, Executive Director Ian MacKenzie-Thurley and past board president Moya Jones.” The exhibition is on display through Aug. 5. The Oxford Community Arts Center is at 10 S. College Avenue, Oxford, Ohio 45056. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10-6 Fridays and 10-2 Saturdays.
For more details on the show – including bios for each of the artists – please visit the Oxford Community Arts Center website right here. Scroll down to “Students of Billy Sims” for the Fitton Center participants.
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