Winter/Spring education brochure

Hamilton, OH – Familiar artist. New offerings.

Erica Fitzgerald’s artwork graces the cover the of the 2026 Winter/Spring Education Brochure released this week by the Fitton Center for Creative Arts.

Fitzgerald was an SOS ART Artist in Residence at the Fitton Center earlier this year. Her striking “Mending as Monument” fiber-art exhibition was on view in the Community Gallery from October 4 to November 4.

“I was pretty ecstatic, actually,” Fitzgerald said of the cover photo. “When (Director of Education and Community Engagement Kate Rowekamp) sent the proof, I was thrilled. Seeing more of my work on the inside pages was great, too.”

Fitzgerald teaches a pair of first-time class offerings in the new year, starting with Intro to Seagrass Basketry during the winter session. The six-week course runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday evenings for ages 16 and up starting January 14, 2026.

“Basketry is something that has been very near and dear to my heart,” she said. “I approach basketry from a fine-art lens. The classes are very focused on skill building and bringing those skills from a really ancient tradition into something that’s both beautiful and practical today.”

The beginner-friendly class teaches students to make small baskets using seagrass and other natural fibers. Participants explore basic techniques, material preparation and finishing methods while creating a functional and beautiful basket to keep.

In the spring session, Fitzgerald offers Beginning Broom Making for ages 16 and up from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays starting March 11. Students explore the history and function of handmade brooms and create their own functional, artistic household tool out of natural broom corn.

Both basketry and broom making fall under the fiber art umbrella, alongside returning favorites like Sewing Basics in the winter session and Intermediate Sewing in the spring.

“I’m interested in the fiber that makes the object as much as the object itself,” Fitzgerald said. “In both classes, it’s that amazing feeling you get when you make something with your own hands and you actually get to use it. There’s a beauty in practicality.”

Fiber art is just one part of the wide-ranging Fitton Center education program that also offers a variety of classes in digital art, drawing & painting, mosaics, printmaking & book arts, pottery and yoga. Classes take place at the Fitton Center, in the Fitton at the Foundry satellite teaching studio at Liberty Center and online.

Also new in 2026 is the Fitton Stage Academy. Budding theater artists will mount a musical adaptation of the beloved Pixar movie Finding Nemo with performances scheduled February 6 and 7, 2026. (Stay tuned for more details, including audition information, coming soon.)

Registration for the 2026 Winter and Spring education sessions opens Monday, December 1. Check out the new education brochure right here or pick up a hard copy at the Fitton Center. Save $5 per class if you register before January 5. Scholarship applications for the winter session are due no later than January 2, 2026.

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