Steeples & Stacks is a landmark event for the Butler Cultural District, an initiative that started in 2022 to focus arts and culture in one area of the city.

The event took place July 10 and 11, and is the result of a panoramic photograph, taken by area photographer Ben Hughes.

The photograph may look unassuming at a glance. It’s a photo of Butler’s skyline that features the Butler County Courthouse clock tower and numerous church spires. But in the nearly four years since that photo was taken, it inspired the theme of the cultural district’s kickoff event, and it provided a nice foundation for a celebration of the culture that created the city.

Hughes said Saturday, July 11, that the photo is bigger than himself, and it now belongs to the people who got enough out of it to create an event around its image. And it’s not something that he is upset about, nor a cross he has to bear. He is proud to be a part of something bigger than himself.

And that’s an inspiring mindset to have.

Once an artist releases a creation into the world, people are free to interpret it in whatever way it speaks to them. Like it or not, the intended meaning of a piece may differ from the interpretation of a viewer.

But Hughes’ piece is like a best-case scenario of a viewer’s interpretation. His photograph has been used to create an event meant to entertain people in Butler, and bring attention to its history in a way that pays tribute to its past. The steeples and stacks depicted in the photo are a part of that honoring.

There’s no telling right now of how the Butler Cultural District will move forward with future iterations of Steeples & Stacks, but if its leaders take inspiration from another piece of art when planning the next shindig, that is likely to be a good starting point.

— ET