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Silent Rise: A City, the Arts, and a Blue-Collar Kid
The city was spiraling out of control…teetering on the brink of economic and social disaster. Businessmen, politicians, and community leaders struggled with the growing plight. They hoped to turn the tide…but with the arts?
The Rust Belt city of Hamilton, Ohio, discovered in 1791, hoped to reverse the repeating cycle of economic decline, educational stagnancy, and social inequities, but only a few thought the arts could make any difference.
A blue-collar kid understands hard work. He also knows how to complete a task. When that kid decides to make his life in the arts, in the dichotomy of blue-collar and arts, he understands that “fine arts” will not be enough and will not be the best way to reach the ends his community hopes to achieve. He also knew that if success were to be had, the arts would have to be broadly defined as they were introduced to the public. The implementation of community arts for this author meant entrusting the arts to the hearts and minds of everyday people. The mission would be community excellence through the arts.
Hamilton was at the threshold of the town’s bicentennial; a cultural plan increased their hope. They listened to the people and decided to build a community arts center. Would this courageous—and many thought dubious—decision work?
This memoir by the man who was brought to town to lead this twenty-five-year journey shows how a struggling city utilized the arts to ignite the renaissance the city is now experiencing. This story of challenge, transformation, and hope is an honest and straight-forward account of what is required to lead with authenticity and achieve amazing results.
“…Rick Jones shows us how this synthesis of arts and creative cities works. It’s a message we need to heed now more than ever.” –Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The New Urban Crisis
The Rust Belt city of Hamilton, Ohio, discovered in 1791, hoped to reverse the repeating cycle of economic decline, educational stagnancy, and social inequities, but only a few thought the arts could make any difference.
A blue-collar kid understands hard work. He also knows how to complete a task. When that kid decides to make his life in the arts, in the dichotomy of blue-collar and arts, he understands that “fine arts” will not be enough and will not be the best way to reach the ends his community hopes to achieve. He also knew that if success were to be had, the arts would have to be broadly defined as they were introduced to the public. The implementation of community arts for this author meant entrusting the arts to the hearts and minds of everyday people. The mission would be community excellence through the arts.
Hamilton was at the threshold of the town’s bicentennial; a cultural plan increased their hope. They listened to the people and decided to build a community arts center. Would this courageous—and many thought dubious—decision work?
This memoir by the man who was brought to town to lead this twenty-five-year journey shows how a struggling city utilized the arts to ignite the renaissance the city is now experiencing. This story of challenge, transformation, and hope is an honest and straight-forward account of what is required to lead with authenticity and achieve amazing results.
“…Rick Jones shows us how this synthesis of arts and creative cities works. It’s a message we need to heed now more than ever.” –Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The New Urban Crisis
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 18, 2021
This is the author's memoir of growing up in Dayton, Ohio, his talent for painting and love for the arts, and the path that led him to become Director of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, OH.
I found this book to be part memoir and part "how to" book, as a lot of the mechanics of setting up, conceptualizing, and funding an arts center were discussed in the book. There are a lot of personal anecdotes as well. Jones pays well-earned homage to the leaders in Hamilton who helped him to bring the idea of an arts center to fruition and help it become the center of a thriving community. For anyone interested in setting up an arts center or any kind of nonprofit, this will be a fascinating read.
Jones mentions his extended family in the "hollers" (or hollows) of the Eastern Kentucky mountains, and I appreciated the beautiful quote he provided about "the definition of a holler," written by Roberta Stephens. The full article by Stephens is at https://www.marshmallowranch.com/defi.... I completely understood that quote. I grew up in Cincinnati, but my late Mom is from Western Carolina, and we spent summers with her relatives in Bryson City. I will be living in the very holler she grew up in when I retire.
While the author said some of his family and acquaintances in Eastern Kentucky were racist, I have not experienced that at all. My Western North Carolina family includes cousins of Native American and African American heritage, not just Caucasian, and I haven't seen racism there. Cherokee, home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, is just 10 miles away. I can only speak to my experience, but I just didn't want people to think all of Appalachia is racist, because that is not so.
Overall, this is a detailed memoir about the arts and what they can do for a community. The author's love and care for his adopted community of Hamilton, OH, are very evident and appreciated.
I found this book to be part memoir and part "how to" book, as a lot of the mechanics of setting up, conceptualizing, and funding an arts center were discussed in the book. There are a lot of personal anecdotes as well. Jones pays well-earned homage to the leaders in Hamilton who helped him to bring the idea of an arts center to fruition and help it become the center of a thriving community. For anyone interested in setting up an arts center or any kind of nonprofit, this will be a fascinating read.
Jones mentions his extended family in the "hollers" (or hollows) of the Eastern Kentucky mountains, and I appreciated the beautiful quote he provided about "the definition of a holler," written by Roberta Stephens. The full article by Stephens is at https://www.marshmallowranch.com/defi.... I completely understood that quote. I grew up in Cincinnati, but my late Mom is from Western Carolina, and we spent summers with her relatives in Bryson City. I will be living in the very holler she grew up in when I retire.
While the author said some of his family and acquaintances in Eastern Kentucky were racist, I have not experienced that at all. My Western North Carolina family includes cousins of Native American and African American heritage, not just Caucasian, and I haven't seen racism there. Cherokee, home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, is just 10 miles away. I can only speak to my experience, but I just didn't want people to think all of Appalachia is racist, because that is not so.
Overall, this is a detailed memoir about the arts and what they can do for a community. The author's love and care for his adopted community of Hamilton, OH, are very evident and appreciated.
July 26, 2021
Addressing artistic endeavers from cave painting and basketmaking to arts in schools and swanky downtown concerts, Silent Rise educates, entertains and inspires all at once.
While telling his own story of serving as executive director of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio, author Rick H. Jones also manages to make a compelling argument for the value of community arts, demonstrating “through numerous anecdotal stories woven together creating a tapestry and showing how that engagement can lead to progressive change throughout a community.”
Silent Rise: A City, the Arts, and a Blue-Collar Kid will stoke the fire in the bellies of artists and community leaders.
I love memoirs, but sometimes the stories of abuse, addiction and searing sorrow exact a toll. I needed a break, and I found it in Jones’ tale. Even he admits it’s not your typical memoir: “This is not a memoir sparked by a single, life-changing lightning strike event. I didn’t awaken from a fetal position on my bathroom floor one day deciding my addiction had to end. Sorry. … It is a story about the power of the arts to transform communities.”
Another reason I chose to pick up Silent Rise is the setting: the old Rust Belt city of Hamilton, situated on the Great Miami River in southwestern Ohio. I once lived in nearby Oxford, Ohio, and worked as a newspaper reporter in Hamilton’s Butler County sister city of Middletown, Ohio. For a time, I covered the entertainment beat.
Let me reassure potential readers that a familiarity with southwestern Ohio is not necessary to appreciate Jones’ story. Most of the story is about his executive directorship, but he provides background by summarizing the history of community arts in America (in the world, actually, when he mentions cave paintings by our primitive ancestors) and then fills us in the history of the arts specifically in Hamilton. He relies on more than just memory; his research on the subject is impressive. Here’s one enlightening snippet he unearthed: “The Hamilton City Directory of 1892-93 listed six artists, four community bands, eight performance venues, and twenty music teachers. There were also 125 saloons in the town of now twenty thousand.”
Jones then recounts in interesting detail some of the Fitton Center’s projects: artists in schools, musicians in cafes, poetry jams, pottery programs to benefit the hungry, the construction of a sculptural centerpiece in the public square and the creation of a building of artists’ apartments. His storytelling is replete with colorful characters and compelling details: a dancer who helps school children understand planetary movement and how Lifesavers candy can be used to persuade lawmakers of the value of community arts, for example.
Coincidentally, I’m also reading The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World, which is a defense of the value of creativity and of its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and overrun with commodities. Jones’ Silent Rise about ongoing arts advocacy—making donors, funders, participants, members and elected officials aware of the non-monetary benefits of the arts—coordinates beautifully with The Gift’s message.
An illuminating and inspiring book about one man’s career and one city’s commitment to community arts, Silent Rise should be consumed and cherished by artists, community organizers and arts patrons across the nation.
I was fortunate to have received an Advanced Review Copy of Silent Rise on Reedsy Discovery.
While telling his own story of serving as executive director of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio, author Rick H. Jones also manages to make a compelling argument for the value of community arts, demonstrating “through numerous anecdotal stories woven together creating a tapestry and showing how that engagement can lead to progressive change throughout a community.”
Silent Rise: A City, the Arts, and a Blue-Collar Kid will stoke the fire in the bellies of artists and community leaders.
I love memoirs, but sometimes the stories of abuse, addiction and searing sorrow exact a toll. I needed a break, and I found it in Jones’ tale. Even he admits it’s not your typical memoir: “This is not a memoir sparked by a single, life-changing lightning strike event. I didn’t awaken from a fetal position on my bathroom floor one day deciding my addiction had to end. Sorry. … It is a story about the power of the arts to transform communities.”
Another reason I chose to pick up Silent Rise is the setting: the old Rust Belt city of Hamilton, situated on the Great Miami River in southwestern Ohio. I once lived in nearby Oxford, Ohio, and worked as a newspaper reporter in Hamilton’s Butler County sister city of Middletown, Ohio. For a time, I covered the entertainment beat.
Let me reassure potential readers that a familiarity with southwestern Ohio is not necessary to appreciate Jones’ story. Most of the story is about his executive directorship, but he provides background by summarizing the history of community arts in America (in the world, actually, when he mentions cave paintings by our primitive ancestors) and then fills us in the history of the arts specifically in Hamilton. He relies on more than just memory; his research on the subject is impressive. Here’s one enlightening snippet he unearthed: “The Hamilton City Directory of 1892-93 listed six artists, four community bands, eight performance venues, and twenty music teachers. There were also 125 saloons in the town of now twenty thousand.”
Jones then recounts in interesting detail some of the Fitton Center’s projects: artists in schools, musicians in cafes, poetry jams, pottery programs to benefit the hungry, the construction of a sculptural centerpiece in the public square and the creation of a building of artists’ apartments. His storytelling is replete with colorful characters and compelling details: a dancer who helps school children understand planetary movement and how Lifesavers candy can be used to persuade lawmakers of the value of community arts, for example.
Coincidentally, I’m also reading The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World, which is a defense of the value of creativity and of its importance in a culture increasingly governed by money and overrun with commodities. Jones’ Silent Rise about ongoing arts advocacy—making donors, funders, participants, members and elected officials aware of the non-monetary benefits of the arts—coordinates beautifully with The Gift’s message.
An illuminating and inspiring book about one man’s career and one city’s commitment to community arts, Silent Rise should be consumed and cherished by artists, community organizers and arts patrons across the nation.
I was fortunate to have received an Advanced Review Copy of Silent Rise on Reedsy Discovery.
September 3, 2026
Every so often, a memoir comes along that completely reshapes how you look at the intersection of leadership, urban spaces, and creative expression. Rick H. Jones’s Silent Rise is exactly that kind of book. Coming from a blue-collar background, Jones brings a beautifully grounded, refreshing perspective to a field that is too often treated as elite or unapproachable.What struck me most about this book is its absolute authenticity. Jones begins by pulling back the curtain on his own roots recounting how his mother enrolled him in Saturday art classes at the Dayton Art Institute when he was just eight years old. That foundational decade of support built the framework for a man who would go on to earn an MFA and ultimately change the civic fabric of a city.The meat of the book details his 25-year journey leading the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton, Ohio. This isn't just a dry administrative diary; it is a living blueprint for how a struggling city can leverage the lively arts to heal racial and socioeconomic divides, ignite structural renaissance, and restore community pride. Jones writes with an artistic elegance that flows naturally, avoiding bureaucratic jargon while offering real, hard-hitting insights on what it takes to guide an organization with transparency and genuine empathy.It is an inspiring, deeply humanizing read that left me thinking about the 'silent rises' happening in my own community. If you care about municipal transformation, grass-roots leadership, or simply love a brilliantly written memoir about a kid who stayed true to his artistic soul, this is a must-read.
September 3, 2026
Rick H. Jones's Silent Rise: A City, the Arts, and a Blue-Collar Kid is an incredibly vital contribution to the documentation of community-driven arts administration. Part personal history and part civic road map, the narrative traces Jones's life from an art-focused upbringing to a highly impactful 46-year career in the arts.The writing style is impressively clear and candid. Jones has a gift for making complex municipal hurdles and community divides feel immediate and solvable through tactical, creative engagement. His retelling of the development of the Fitton Center serves as a brilliant case study for public servants, planners, and cultural organizers. He proves definitively that arts and culture are not mere luxuries for a city, but the very engine of its economic and psychological revitalization.The only reason I am formatting this as a four-star review rather than a five is that the book's pacing occasionally slows down during some of the granular administrative details of his quarter-century tenure. While these passages are treasure troves for anyone working directly in nonprofits or urban development, general readers might find the narrative momentum decelerating slightly in the middle acts.That minor note aside, the sheer honesty of his blue-collar perspective completely wins out. It’s a powerful testament to how a single dedicated life can alter the trajectory of an entire city. Highly recommended for anyone interested in creative placemaking and authentic, boots-on-the-ground leadership.
August 31, 2021
Silent rise is a memoir. It is a form of documentation that displays Jones’s parents supporting his dreams, his love for the arts and how he graduates with a Masters in Fine Arts. Jones believes that he can change and transform communities through art programs, and so due to his skills and abilities, he directs Hamilton’s art centre.
I enjoyed how Jones demonstrated the value of art and how it could help students understand its importance. The concepts and activities are a source of inspiration that induce creativity. Jones emphasizes this matter and succeeds in educating us in such a way.
I found the memoir to be written well and enjoyable to read. The book cover reflected what existed inside. The author retells his experience in an honest manner and also makes sure that you learn a few things on the way.
I recommend this book to anyone who is into memoirs and loves art.
I enjoyed how Jones demonstrated the value of art and how it could help students understand its importance. The concepts and activities are a source of inspiration that induce creativity. Jones emphasizes this matter and succeeds in educating us in such a way.
I found the memoir to be written well and enjoyable to read. The book cover reflected what existed inside. The author retells his experience in an honest manner and also makes sure that you learn a few things on the way.
I recommend this book to anyone who is into memoirs and loves art.
September 5, 2026
An Absolute Masterpiece of Hope and Transformation! 5 Stars!
Silent Rise is one of the most inspiring books I have read in a very long time. Rick H. Jones writes with incredible heart, creativity, and clarity. As a reader, you are immediately pulled into the story of Hamilton, Ohio, and the monumental task of using the arts to revive a struggling Rust Belt city.
What makes this book so special is the author’s unique perspective as a "blue-collar kid." He completely breaks down the idea that the arts are only for the elite, showing how creativity belongs to everyday people. It is a beautiful story of authenticity, hard work, and triumph. If you want a book that will touch your heart and make you believe in the power of community, this is it. Rick's writing is phenomenal, and his journey is a true testament to what happens when you lead with love for your town. Highly recommended!
Silent Rise is one of the most inspiring books I have read in a very long time. Rick H. Jones writes with incredible heart, creativity, and clarity. As a reader, you are immediately pulled into the story of Hamilton, Ohio, and the monumental task of using the arts to revive a struggling Rust Belt city.
What makes this book so special is the author’s unique perspective as a "blue-collar kid." He completely breaks down the idea that the arts are only for the elite, showing how creativity belongs to everyday people. It is a beautiful story of authenticity, hard work, and triumph. If you want a book that will touch your heart and make you believe in the power of community, this is it. Rick's writing is phenomenal, and his journey is a true testament to what happens when you lead with love for your town. Highly recommended!
July 21, 2021
GRATIA ARTS
5.0 out of 5 stars How art can change lives.
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2021
When Rick H. Jones brought his youthful energy, disciplined work ethic as well as his artistic soul, training and vision to Hamilton, lives changed! A must read for all artists who want to understand funding, for teachers who want to understand evaluating the arts and each and everyone one of you to offer a new look at inherited racism in a community and in ourselves. Rick’s Memoir offers insights into why so many people in Hamilton misunderstand the role of art in their lives. He tells a real story about the power of art to enhance our lives in essential ways. Number 1 reason to read this book:
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Sir Winston Churchill.
5.0 out of 5 stars How art can change lives.
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2021
When Rick H. Jones brought his youthful energy, disciplined work ethic as well as his artistic soul, training and vision to Hamilton, lives changed! A must read for all artists who want to understand funding, for teachers who want to understand evaluating the arts and each and everyone one of you to offer a new look at inherited racism in a community and in ourselves. Rick’s Memoir offers insights into why so many people in Hamilton misunderstand the role of art in their lives. He tells a real story about the power of art to enhance our lives in essential ways. Number 1 reason to read this book:
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Sir Winston Churchill.
September 5, 2026
Rick H. Jones has written a brilliant memoir that is both an engaging story and an essential guide for community transformation. Silent Rise details a 25-year journey of turning economic decline into a cultural renaissance through a beautifully executed plan.The creativity in Jones's approach is matched only by the excellence of his writing. He delivers a straightforward, honest, and deeply authentic account of what it takes to guide a city through a major shift. By redefining "fine arts" to fit the hearts and minds of working-class citizens, he achieved something many thought was impossible. This book is a must-read for leaders, creators, and anyone who believes in the power of creative problem-solving. A magnificent piece of writing that deserves every bit of praise!
September 2, 2026
An absolute masterclass in how creativity can heal a community.I am so incredibly impressed by the writing and creativity in this memoir. Rick H. Jones delivers a beautifully honest, down-to-earth account of how the arts completely transformed a struggling Rust Belt city. Coming from a blue-collar perspective, his approach to making the arts accessible to everyday people rather than keeping it exclusive is incredibly refreshing. It’s a story of resilience, vision, and practical hope that left me feeling deeply inspired. If you want to see proof of how creativity can genuinely change lives and revitalize a town, you need to read this book. 5 stars all the way!
September 2, 2026
Incredibly moving, authentic, and beautifully written!
What a phenomenal read. The author has a gift for storytelling that bridges the gap between gritty, blue-collar reality and the world of fine arts. His writing is straightforward, deeply authentic, and completely lacks pretension. I loved following the 25-year journey of rebuilding Hamilton, Ohio, through a bold cultural vision. It’s rare to find a memoir that is both a practical guide for leadership and an emotionally gripping story, but this book pulls it off seamlessly. The creativity shines through on every single page. Highly recommended!
What a phenomenal read. The author has a gift for storytelling that bridges the gap between gritty, blue-collar reality and the world of fine arts. His writing is straightforward, deeply authentic, and completely lacks pretension. I loved following the 25-year journey of rebuilding Hamilton, Ohio, through a bold cultural vision. It’s rare to find a memoir that is both a practical guide for leadership and an emotionally gripping story, but this book pulls it off seamlessly. The creativity shines through on every single page. Highly recommended!
September 2, 2026
Powerful, creative, and deeply inspiring.
I couldn't put this book down! Rick H. Jones shares a remarkable journey of how community arts sparked a true city renaissance. The dichotomy between his blue-collar roots and his leadership in the arts makes for an incredibly compelling narrative. The writing is engaging, thought-provoking, and packed with heart. It’s an eye-opening look at what happens when you entrust the arts to everyday people. Easily a 5-star read!
I couldn't put this book down! Rick H. Jones shares a remarkable journey of how community arts sparked a true city renaissance. The dichotomy between his blue-collar roots and his leadership in the arts makes for an incredibly compelling narrative. The writing is engaging, thought-provoking, and packed with heart. It’s an eye-opening look at what happens when you entrust the arts to everyday people. Easily a 5-star read!
September 5, 2026
I was thoroughly impressed by the creativity and brilliant writing in Silent Rise. Rick H. Jones shares a powerful, honest memoir about using the arts to bridge class divides and revitalize a city. It is a beautiful story of challenge, hope, and grit. The author's blue-collar perspective makes the narrative so relatable, while his artistic soul makes the writing shine. A well-deserved 5 stars!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews