Community event to showcase Black creativity, innovation and leadership at Fitton Center

Journal-News
By Ginny McCabe
8/26/26


The Fitton Center and its partners will host a community celebration this month that highlights “The Soul of Black Folks: 250 Years of Creativity, Innovation and Leadership” exhibition curated by Carolyn L. Mazloomi of West Chester.

In partnership with Booker T. Washington Community Center, Learning Through Arts and Charles F. Kettering Foundation, the Fitton Center will present “Voices of the Soul of Black Folks” from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug 29.

Ebony Brock, executive director at Booker T. Washington Community Center and Community Quilt Facilitator for Learning Through Arts, said the event is a family friendly day, which includes gallery tours, a luncheon, artist talks, poetry readings, dance, music and a quilting workshop conducted by Learning Through Arts, Inc.

“I love bringing people together and hearing their lived experiences and walking them through what that looks like as far as our community,” said Brock. “I’m excited this exhibit is here. This exhibit could be anywhere in the country, or anywhere in the world, because Dr. Mazloomi’s quilts are pure art, and they are here in Hamilton.”

Food, art and other shared experiences bring people together, she said, whether it is through music, dance or poetry.

“Our Quilt Conversations provide space for people to share their unique stories, culture, and lived experiences, the things that make up the fabric of who we are,” said Brock.

“Together with our community partners, we can do great work. For this particular exhibit, there’s something powerful about seeing Black life being centered, and it’s not just our struggle, but our creativity, brilliance, leadership and our joy in the ways that we’ve continued to create, even when circumstances and systems have told us we shouldn’t be able to … So, for us to be able to partner in this capacity is really wonderful,” she said.

The Soul of Black Folks exhibition is part of Handwork 2026, presented by Craft in America. The City of Hamilton sponsors the Fitton Center exhibition series, with Neil and Honi Cohen as supporting sponsors, Penny Brooks as exhibition sponsor and it is running in partnership with YWCA Hamilton.

“The quilt art exhibition honors the voices, vision, and victories of Black history figures whose contributions transformed our nation and our communities,” said Wendy Waters-Connell, CEO, at YWCA Hamilton. “We are honored to be supporting this show and its message of hope and resilience.

“Together with YWCA Hamilton’s legacy of advocacy and empowerment, the Women of Color Quilters’ art manifests stories which remind us that when threads are woven together, they create something stronger, more beautiful, and lasting,” she said.

Earlier this month, more than 1,000 people attended the Fitton Center’s 2026-2027 Season Launch: An Evening of Wonder, which also served as an opening celebration for the exhibition.

“The exhibition opened last week, and it’s been an absolute blockbuster exhibition. It truly was the star of season launch, and we had people coming in from Columbus, Cleveland, and Kentucky to see this exhibition. We had over 25 artists from around the country come in for that exhibition. The exhibition itself is absolutely stunning, and it’s available to view at anytime,” said Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, executive director of the Fitton Center.

The Soul of Black Folks exhibition will be on view through Saturday, Sept. 12. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. A visit to the Fitton Center galleries is free and open to the public.

“It has really taken our galleries by storm. The exhibition is reflective of the history of the United States, and it is 250 years of creativity, leadership and innovation. It speaks to all of that and the women who have created these pieces have truly put their hearts and souls into this,” MacKenzie-Thurley said.

If You Go
Schedule for the Voices of the Soul of Black Folks event Saturday, Aug. 29:

12:30 p.m. – Galleries open (First- and second-floor galleries)

1-2 p.m.– Community luncheon (Ballroom, third floor)

2-2:30 p.m. – Gallery viewing (First- and second-floor galleries)

2:30-3:45 p.m. — Welcome and poetry-reading event (Second-floor galleries)

4-5 p.m. — Story quilt workshop with Kathy Wade (Ballroom, third floor)

Original article here.