He said 17Strong is an incredible organization is based out of the city of Hamilton. It was a product of the Sense of Place Committee that was comprised of resident volunteers, members of city council, and city administration that came out of the city’s strategic plan in 2012.
“We are a city of about 65,000 people, and there’s a real strength in 17Strong. It continues to blossom and grow, and it’s having a really meaningful impact on the city. The Fitton Center has a really strong partnership with 17Strong, and we are delighted to have them here speaking,” MacKenzie-Thurley said.
“Celebrating Self” Around the Kitchen Table with 17Strong featuring Brandon Saurber will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 6 at the Fitton Center. Former City Councilwoman Kathleen Klink and Arnita Gunn, development manager at the Fitton Center, are expected to join Saurber and the 17Strong team for the discussion. Tickets are $21 for Fitton Center members and $27 for non-members. (Plus, a $1 service fee.) Lunch is included and will be provided by Two Women in a Kitchen.
“This event is a great opportunity for those people who may not have been involved with 17Strong, or those that might not understand how it all comes together, but most importantly, it’s a chance to find out how can they get involved, and how can have their ideas and voices be heard,” said MacKenzie-Thurley.
17Strong’s purpose is to provide a framework for communication and a sense of identity to rally individuals, groups, and other organizations to take pride in their particular corner of the city.
“Every year at ‘Celebrating Self,’ we try to find a local focus to bring to the forefront to make sure that people are connected, and able to connect with things going on throughout the city on a local level,” MacKenzie-Thurley said.
Accompanied by lunch, the “Celebrating Self” series features speakers and topics that are interesting, diverse, and dynamic. On average, 70 to 100 guests turn out for the programs.
The Fitton Center also is partnering with 17Strong on an upcoming exhibition that will be on display in the galleries in the fall of 2024.
“We are partnering with 17Strong, because what the Fitton Center would like to do is select and send artist photographers out into the 17 neighborhoods of Hamilton to capture these backstories,” said Cathy Mayhugh, director of exhibitions at the Fitton Center. “So, those 17 neighborhood photo narratives will end up all together in an exhibition in the Fitton Center galleries. We’re excited about the possibilities.”
The planned group exhibition titled “We > Me (We is Greater Than Me): 17 Artists Explore Hamilton Neighborhoods” tells the ongoing story of Hamilton, Ohio, by uniting multiple perspectives and interpretations of the theme “backstories” through lens-based art.
Photographers may choose to focus on an event in a particular neighborhood, on the people who work or live there, or the spaces in the neighborhood, such as the streets, alleys, or architecture, for example.
“There are so many different ways that artists can take what they are already doing in their photographic process, or concept and apply it to what they find in a particular neighborhood,” Mayhugh said. “We decided the only way we could make this fair as far as which neighborhood selected artists would be matched with is to do it like a lottery process.”
In this project, 17 selected regional artists will be assigned, through a lottery process conducted by project organizers, to one of the City of Hamilton’s 17 diverse neighborhoods to create visual narratives. Artists are asked to be open-minded to be able to apply what they want to do with any of the 17 neighborhoods in Hamilton that they might be matched with. The deadline for artist/photographer proposals has been extended through March 17.
How to go
What: “Celebrating Self” Around the Kitchen Table with 17Strong featuring Brandon Saurber
When: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 6
Where: The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton
Cost: Tickets for the event are $21 for members; $27 for non-members. (Plus a $1 service fee.) The event is sponsored by Matandy Steel & Metal Products LLC. The luncheon speaker series will include lunch from Two Women in a Kitchen.
More info: www.fittoncenter.org or (513) 863-8873 ext. 110.
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