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PRESS RELEASE      
 September 26, 2016
For Immediate Release
Eugene Scharf
Department of Community Development
Email: eugene.scharf@hamilton-oh.gov
Phone: (513) 785-7022
City of Hamilton and Fitton Center for Creative Arts Selected for National Creative Placemaking Immersion Program
Hamilton, Ohio - The City of Hamilton Community Development Department and the Fitton Center for Creative Arts have been selected as partners to participate in the Creative Placemaking Immersion Program (CPI). This year-long intensive program aims to build knowledge and advance creative placemaking initiatives in selected states as well as to revitalize communities and local economies by intentionally leveraging the power of arts, culture, and creativity.

"We're absolutely delighted about this new project in partnership with the City and the Ohio CDC," said Ian Mackenzie-Thurley, Executive Director of the Fitton Center. "The City of Hamilton has been phenomenal in their partnership and support of the arts. It's a big reason the Ohio CDC came to the Fitton with this proposal originally."

There have been a number of recent arts projects the City has taken on in collaboration with local arts communities. The StreetSpark murals, completed over the summer off of both Main and High Streets, were created primarily through the partnership between the City and the Fitton Center. Other recent arts projects supported by the City include fire hydrant painting by InsideOut Studio (pictured below) and the completion of the Artspace Lofts in Hamilton's urban core. The CPI Program will make it possible to pursue more of these types of projects and will provide resources to encourage the integration of art within all areas of the community.



"This new development will give us the opportunity to meet with other arts practitioners, administrators, and community development professionals from around the U.S.," said Mackenzie-Thurley. "It will also put Hamilton on the radar of national organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts."

The CPI program is managed by the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Association (NACEDA) in partnership with Americans for the Arts. The program contracts with three NACEDA member state and regional community economic development (CED) associations to build knowledge of creative placemaking among CED and arts practitioners in the CED association's footprint through the creation and implementation of a "knowledge building activity." The Ohio Community Development Corporation (CDC), a non-profit out of Columbus, and Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation were chosen to be one of three state-level CED partners, and the City of Hamilton and the Fitton Center were chosen by the CDC as one of three local-level partners within the Ohio program.

For the purposes of the program, "knowledge-building activity" is defined as follows: a programmatic activity of the CED association - in partnership with an arts organization or individual - that builds creative placemaking knowledge and familiarity for both CED and arts practitioners, with an eye to implementing creative placemaking in their geography. The activity may fall under any or all of these areas of association function:
  • training or capacity building, such as convenings, training opportunities, development and delivery of a creative placemaking curriculum
  • technical assistance or other support for individual creative placemaking project(s) that generate shareable knowledge
  • other activities in line with the CED association's general activity that relate to building new knowledge within the association's membership
Other partners selected within the state of Ohio are the Northeast Shore Development Corporation and Community Partnership for Arts and Culture in Cleveland and the Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District and Appalachian Hills of Ohio Territory in Southeast Ohio. For more information about this partnership and what it means for Hamilton, contact Bud Scharf in Community Development at 513-785-7022 or Ian Mackenzie-Thurley at the Fitton Center at (513) 863-8873.
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About Hamilton, Ohio.  Located on the Great Miami River in the heart of the Cincinnati-Dayton metroplex, Hamilton is a historically-significant city with approximately 63,000 residents. Home to Miami University Hamilton and the County Seat of Butler County, Hamilton is the area center for government, finance and industry. Known for its unparalleled art, cultural & recreational activities, Hamilton is continually expanding its quality of life offerings. An award winning community, Hamilton was the recipient of the 2010 & 2015 Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting "Best Water in the World" award, the winner of the 2012 "Best of the Best" award by the Ohio Section of the American Water Works Association, the prestigious 2010 Public Gas System Achievement Award and five consecutive Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) Platinum level awards. Additionally, the Hamilton City School District was named The National School District of Character for 2012. For more information, please visit www.hamilton-city.org.