“Community Connections, Collaborations, Culture and Excellence in the Visual Arts”

Since 1979 the Shot Tower Gallery has presented hundreds of locally and nationally significant exhibitions with the focus on presenting a range of artistic approaches, celebrating culture and diversity and to maintain ongoing community partnerships with artists, area universities, local arts organizations, and galleries. These partnerships support the Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center's arts focus and the mission to “to create expectations of excellence through challenging and collaborative learning" by demonstrating the excellence in the field of visual arts. We are fortunate to have provided exhibitions space for artists and arts organizations for over forty years.

The 1864 built Shot Tower building (building 62) was transformed into the Fort Hayes School for the Visual Arts in 1980 by the leadership of innovative Founding Director Jack Gibbs and the founding Gallery Director Judith Claire Hagen. Today, the Fort Hayes Career Center continues to offer arts programs for juniors and seniors in the visual and performing arts, including Art Portfolio, Audio Production, Dance Performance, Graphic Design, Music Performance, and Photography.  The Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School, an alternative high school for students interested in an intensive academic and arts curriculum was founded in 1989 and celebrated its first graduating class in 1990. It was one of the early public arts high schools and inspired similar programs nation-wide.