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Arts take center stage

Community arts centers hold activities for adults and children on Sept. 12.

Staff photo by Samantha Grier A children's art class is held at the Fairfield Community Arts Center on Friday, Sept. 3.

Caption: Reggie Finkelman works on a painting Wednesday, Sept. 1 at the Middletown Arts Center in Middletown. The center will participate in the inaugural Community Arts Center Day on Sept. 12.

Staff photo by Gary Stelzer Caption: Reggie Finkelman works on a painting Wednesday, Sept. 1 at the Middletown Arts Center in Middletown. The center will participate in the inaugural Community Arts Center Day on Sept. 12.

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer Updated 1:48 AM Sunday, September 5, 2010

Community arts centers find activities for their attendees, but on Sunday, Sept. 12, the centers get a day to themselves.

That is Community Arts Centers Day, in which arts centers in Middletown, Fairfield and Oxford are participating. All centers will hold activities from noon to 4 p.m.

Middletown

The Middletown Arts Center, on 130 N. Verity Parkway, will have what it calls a “paint for all ice cream social” from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees will be invited to create a mural and sample ice cream donated by Dillman Foods, said Sherry Pieratt, the center’s coordinator of development. Artists will provide demonstrations in watercolor, drawing, colored pencil, acrylics and other media.

“We want this to be a fun day for families. We want to have kids here, but they have to be accompanied by adults. The idea is to show how arts can bring people together in a vibrant neighborhood,” Pieratt said.

Fairfield

The Fairfield Community Arts Center, on 411 Wessel Drive, will offer samples of the dances, theater and arts opportunities it provides on a regular basis, said Heidi Schiller, the manager of the center.

Parents will be able to learn about arts opportunities and after-school activities and classes for children, while the kids can make and take home their own pottery piece. Belly dance and salsa demonstrations will be offered, the Kids in the Spotlight group will perform scenes from their production of “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” and the Fairfield Footlighters will perform scenes from their upcoming show, Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap.”

Oxford

Oxford’s Community Art Center on 10 S. College Ave. will present a range of activities, from the sounds of the Oxford Gourd and Drum Ensemble to the sights of artwork by portrait artist Rod Randall, watercolorist Kathy Baxter and paper-maker Rebecca Fallat. Children can participate in a Harvest party .

“My hope is that this will publicize what we do and show that we’re prolific and people will realize that we’re everywhere,” said Caroline Croswell, executive director of the center.

It’s a fine day for art

When people hear the words “arts center,” they might think of a “place where you go to look at artwork.”

That’s partly true, but the community arts centers in Middletown, Fairfield and Oxford all offer more than that, and all will showcase their offerings on Community Arts Center Day Sunday, Sept. 12.

The Middletown center comes closest to the classic definition of the arts center, offering mostly galleries and classes in visual arts. The center has existed as an organization since 1957; it has been in its current building at 130 N. Verity Parkway since 1965. For many years that building was home to an organization called Arts in Middletown that also housed facilities for the Middletown Symphony and Middletown Lyric Theatre.

That umbrella organization dissolved by 2002, leaving the arts center as the sole tenant. During Community Arts Center Day, attendees will create a mural, which might be placed outside the center, or at a business in the community, said Sherry Pieratt, the development coordinator.

Part of the idea of having the activities that day is to make art seem more approachable, she said.

“We want people to understand that art is fun ,” said Pieratt.

Fairfield’s Community Arts Center is a more recent creation, opening its doors five years ago. Fairfield’s arts center is run by the city. It hosts shows by the theater group the Fairfield Footlighters, concerts and dances, plus arts classes and other offerings.

“Our arts center is unique as the citizens of Fairfield are unique … if you look at the trend, citizen-supported arts centers are the trend. That backing gives us a lot of freedom,” said Heidi Schiller, the manager of the center.

Oxford’s Community Arts Center runs out of a historical building that was once a women’s college. The original structure dates back to 1849, said Caroline Croswell, the executive director of the arts center.

However, the arts center is much newer. It was incorporated in 2001 and opened in 2006. While most art centers go out to the community for content, community members most often suggest what should be there, she said.

“Community arts centers are popping up all over greater Cincinnati, and we hope, all over the country. We have the organizations networking,” she said,

In fact, that’s how the Community Arts Centers Day was created, said Mike Boberg, the director of shared services at Cincinnati’s Fine Arts Fund, which provides support for the arts centers. He said the idea was the brainchild of Ruth Dickey of the Clifton Cultural Arts Center.

“She said we have such great stuff going on that we ought to have one day where people can come in and see what we do,” Boberg said.

The Fitton Center for the Creative Arts in Hamilton is not participating in the Community Arts Center Day because it concentrated its efforts on the similar Fine Arts Fund Sampler Weekend, said Jodi Fritsch, the director of marketing and communications.

However, Fitton is embarking on a new project: a workshop in partnership with Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park.

Fritsch said this is an all-day sculpture event with local artists Tracy Featherstone, Jennifer Ustick, Lisa Siders and Denise Burge, who will demonstrate how to create site-specific sculpture using natural elements collected at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park.

The workshop will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park on 1763 Hamilton-Cleves Road. The cost is $50 for members and $70 for nonmembers. After Sept. 11, the cost will be $55 for members and $75 for nonmembers. Call (513)-863-8873 for details.