Every other year, the Fitton Center hosts a “Biennial Fitton Center Member Show,” which highlights the work of all its members. Members can now enter artwork through Fri., Mar. 11.
“This is an ongoing spring exhibition that we alternate with our competitive, juried show, which also happens every other year. The member show is invitational, which means everything that is entered is displayed, and that’s what we’re doing now.” said Cathy Mayhugh, director of exhibitions, Fitton Center for Creative Arts.
The multi-media, invitational group show will open on Fri., Apr. 22 with an opening event from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Art on display will include paintings, photography, mosaics, ceramics, pottery, sculptures, fiber art and more. Fitton Center exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Member artists can submit work in one of two categories, a “Member Artist Category” and/or a “Family Category.” Members can visit fittoncenter.org/call-to-artists to submit an online entry form. Entrants should be a Fitton Center member, 18 years or older to participate in the group show. There is no fee to participate, but a Fitton Center membership and a completed online entry form are required. The exhibition is open to all types of artwork.
“The Biennial Fitton Center Member Show lets people who are members here at the Fitton Center display their artwork with no competitive element. This is something where they can display their artwork automatically. It also allows us to really show off the talent of Fitton Center members,” Mayhugh said.
Members are encouraged to display kids’ art, adult contemporary works and family heirlooms, which will be displayed side-by-side in this non-juried exhibition. In the past, artwork included in the show has been submitted by Fitton Center’s community of artists, including board members, sponsors, staff, instructors, students and others.
“Another different aspect of the member show is that it is multigenerational. So, we are showing contemporary artwork made by adult members. They can enter children’s art as well, or they can enter historic artwork made by somebody in their family. You may have an old needlepoint sampler, or a piece of furniture that was handcrafted by an ancestor. Those types of things are eligible for this show,” Mayhugh said.
The member show happens on the even years. In 2018, the Fitton Center received more than 160 entries in from close to 100 members. For the first time, the Fitton Center hosted a virtual gallery in 2020. The juried competition is hosted on the odd-numbered years. Many of the member artists have also taken classes at the Fitton Center, such as pottery, ceramics, printmaking and mosaics.
“This show has grown substantially since it began. In fact, the last time we had a full gallery exhibition in 2018, we had so many entries that we didn’t have enough space to show them all,” Mayhugh said, “So, what we did was we displayed at least one artwork from each artist who entered, and the artists who submitted more than one, we put them aside for awhile and switched them out throughout the course of the exhibition. It was really cool.”
This time, artists are limited to one artwork per artist for the “Member Artist Category.” Artists can also submit one artwork in the “Family Category.” Overall, artists are limited to one artwork per category.
“Visual art is a way of communicating that is universal. It really bridges culture and language, and even time. So, I think right now there’s some things going on in the world that emphasize the way people are divided or at odds, and this is a way to be part of something that is unifying, positive, and a way of communicating that everybody can understand,” Mayhugh said.
For questions, or more information about entering artwork in the “8th Biennial Fitton Center Member Show,” contact Cathy Mayhugh, director of exhibitions at cathy@fittoncenter.org, or by calling 513-863-8873 ext. 122.
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