Fairfield Community Arts Center

The Fairfield Community Arts Center has been a southern Ohio staple since its opening in 2005. Also home of the Parks and Recreation Department, the FCAC has everything art-related under one roof.

“The Fairfield Community Arts Center offers community connections. Whether your passion is art, pottery, dance, fitness, recreation, leisure, theater, or life-long learning, the FCAC provides opportunities to explore those experiences and connect with others who share your interests,” says Heidi Schiller, Arts and Programs manager at the FCAC.

Some of the hands-on classes offered for all ages include arts and crafts, cooking, dance, fitness, music, nature, photography, technology, theater, and social dance. There is also a wide-range of activities and programs for active seniors through the 55-Plus program. For kids, the full-day summer camps for children ages 6-15 are designed with various activities including trips to zoos, museums, Reds games and more. A Summer Fitness Pass allows guests to enjoy diverse classes like Zumba, spinning, kickboxing, pilates and yoga.

“In addition to the programs and classes, the performing arts offers a diverse season of world music, entertainment for children and families, and a popular Friday-night cabaret series has two sell-out shows this season alone,” says Schiller. The 237-seat theater has top-of-the-line sound and lighting as well as film screening abilities.

At the end of May, the 2013-2014 theater season comes to a close with Same Time, Next Year, presented by Fairfield Footlighters community theatre. In July, Madcap Puppet Theatre will stop by with Twain’s Twisted Tails, perfect to entertain younger audiences. In August, the FCAC’s Kids in the Spotlight Summer Musical Theatre camp presents a shortened version of The Sound of Music.

From June to September, the Art Gallery hosts fine art and photography, first from Hilltop Artists, a local artists group, and then Paul Miles’ photography of Birds of Prey. Finally, from May to September, the FCAC plays backdrop to the popular Thursday night weekly concert series, Groovin’ on the Green, which takes place in Village Green Park.

Despite all it already has to offer, the FCAC continues to grow each year, according to Schiller.

“The Parks and Recreation Department not only annually reviews all offerings to keep them relevant and fresh, but also seeks out new recreation, fitness and leisure trends to create new classes and programs,” she explains. “The Parks and Recreation Department currently is partnering with the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University to research and write a ten-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan. This plan will outline the Department’s goals and needs for the next decade and can be used to chart the course of the Fairfield Community Arts Center.”

The goal of the FCAC is to offer a variety of programs and cultural events to Fairfield citizens, Fairfield businesses and the Greater Cincinnati region.

“With a historically strong connection to ArtsWave and other Cincinnati arts groups such as Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera and the Taft Museum, the Fairfield Community Arts Center is a community arts destination, not only for the north, but also for anyone that calls the Greater Cincinnati area home,” says Schiller.

Originally written for Cincy Magazine (Best of the North).