New this year, the Picture Worthington Art Walk showcases pieces from 15 local artists in various areas of the city’s historical district through October.
This outdoor gallery is similar to the Picture Worthington History Walk that was held in spring 2022, but instead of focusing on historical sites, the Art Walk displays various local art pieces.
Instead of having the physical art pieces outside – where they could be damaged by the environment – each piece has been turned into a quality-image poster, protected behind heat-sensitive vinyl that is secured to the structures with a heat gun.
While the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center is Worthington’s go-to place for art admirers, Experience Worthington Tourism Director Elizabeth Dekker wanted to put together a collection celebrating artists local to Worthington. Each art piece displayed includes a short bio of the artist and their art style.
“We have such a strong history here in Worthington of promoting and celebrating local art,” Dekker says. “It was a no-brainer to focus on just people who live, work and create here.”
Jeanie Auseon – one of the owners of Upstairs Artist Studios, located above The Whitney House in downtown Worthington – has one of her pieces, Floral Play #2, on the art walk. The piece resonates with her as an artist, she says, and she hopes that her painting will bring a smile to the face of anyone who sees it.
“I think this is a pretty good representation of what I do because it is somewhat literal,” Auseon says. “You can tell what it is, but it’s also abstract. It’s a pretty good piece to represent my work.”
The city of Worthington is full of art enthusiasts and creators. Dekker began planning the walk by reaching out to local galleries and artists. Ultimately, she received 35 pieces for consideration.
One of the pieces chosen was created by Kelly Reichert. She is a lifelong Worthington resident, and her family has lived in Worthington for generations. Her piece titled Contentment depicts a quiet and cozy space.
“It is basically a piece that speaks to that moment in your life when you just arrived at sort of that peaceful state where you just know that everything is going to be ok,” Reichert says.
These 15 pieces are scattered in all directions surrounding Worthington Village Green at the corner of West Dublin-Granville Road and High Street. This includes artwork that is displayed outside community buildings such as the Griswold Center, McConnell Center, Old Worthington Library, post office and more. All the pieces are a half-mile or less from each other, making it easy to see all in an afternoon.
Another artist being featured in the show, Whitney Scully, has a pencil-drawn realistic portrait on display, depicting a local photographer and her son. Scully has previously been featured at Highline Coffee Co. in downtown Worthington and loves the growing arts scene in the city.
“I think it’s a really vibrant place and it’s really supportive,” Scully says. “It’s just a wonderful community filled with people who want to see more art, and I think that’s fabulous.”
Dekker says she has already received positive feedback about the walk from many who have encountered it. She feels displaying local artists allows residents and visitors to see something new and be inspired.
“One-hundred percent of the comments that we’ve gotten have been just how fun it is, how exciting it is, for the artists to see their work out there, but also people to kind of discover them,” she says.
Even those who may not always enjoy the typical trip to a gallery or art museum may enjoy the scavenger hunt aspect of the walk. Maps of the walk are available at any of the old Worthington area merchants, and each artwork displays a QR code that links to the map and the author’s portfolio.
“The art is not in the right-of-way unnecessarily, so it’s a little down hidden alleys and back behind buildings so that you can kind of go on a bit of a treasure hunt to go and find these,” Dekker says.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
