Getting creative: New Fitton Center location at Liberty Center aims to serve more locals

“This is an incredible opportunity for the Fitton Center to project further out into Butler County and serve more of the community here. For 30 years the Fitton Center has been developing outstanding educational opportunities for residents of all ages and we are excited to be able to share this with many more people,” said Ian Mackenzie-Thurley, executive director.

The Fitton Center will continue to run and operate its flagship location on Monument Avenue in Hamilton. The expansion at Liberty Center is called Fitton at The Foundry.

“The Liberty Center team hae been outstanding partners in developing this brand new project. They too are highly committed to both the arts and supporting the local community, and we are extremely grateful for that,” Mackenzie-Thurley said.

Fitton at The Foundry — roughly 2,600 square feet of studio space, plus a storage area and restroom — is located on the second floor above the Footlocker store and across from Build-a-Bear Workshop.

The ribbon-cutting event on Tuesday featured art demonstrations with participants from the Boys & Girls Club of West Chester/Liberty, a presentation from Joe Hinson, president and CEO of the West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance and previews of the fall class offerings. More than 100 guests attended the event, including local and state dignitaries and business leaders, who all expressed their support.

“The Fitton Center has been a great partner in the community. Thank you for being here today. We get to bring arts to the community and that’s some of what we love doing. We are similar to Ian and the Fitton Center in dreaming big. We’re excited to see what’s going to be created,” said John Taylor, general manager at Liberty Center.

Kate Rowekamp, director of education and outreach at the Fitton Center said she’s excited about the opportunity to connect with new students.

“The magic of the Fitton Center is catching on. The opportunity to expand comes from so many people in our community taking an interest and spending time with us- learning from our instructors, trying new things, and inviting friends and family to join. The bigger our creative community gets, the more support we have for projects like this,” she said.

More details

Classes at Fitton at The Foundry will begin the week of Sept. 20. Classes offered will include Kid’s Drawing and Painting, Watercolor Basics for Adults, and Creative Aging Mosaics. Go to www.fittoncenter.org to register.