Worthington is home to picturesque historic buildings, a quaint village green and winding, tree-lined streets. Now the unveiling of a new project enables visitors to experience the vibrancy of Worthington’s creative side while strolling through town.
"Picture Worthington: Art Walk" features 15 artworks created by Worthington artists in large-format photographs on display at locations throughout the Old Worthington historic district and outside the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center. Presented by Experience Worthington and the McConnell Arts Center, "Picture Worthington: Art Walk" will be on display through summer.
"Picture Worthington" creator Elizabeth Dekker, Tourism Director for Experience Worthington, says the idea for this year’s Art Walk and last year’s Picture Worthington: History Walk came to her during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
“During COVID, when we were all home, I did a lot of walking in and around downtown (Worthington) and was looking for ways to get people into Worthington during that shutdown time, and I had the idea to do an outdoor gallery,” Dekker said.
Last year’s "Picture Worthington: History Walk" showcased Worthington’s past in large-format prints of historic photographs of the city. This year’s Art Walk will accentuate Worthington’s present, in particular the creative vibe that makes the community tick.
“When I really started doing research on how best to market Worthington to visitors and residents alike, I realized how much art and how much celebration of art Worthington has,” Dekker said. “I realized that the art and the artists were really what I was excited to focus on during the second (Picture Worthington), and so I’m really glad to be able to make it happen this year.”
Dekker invited 60 Worthington-based artists to apply to have their work displayed in the Art Walk. She received more than 40 applications and selected the 15 artworks for display from hundreds of submitted pieces in a range of mediums and on a wide range of themes.
“What we really saw as we looked through these pieces was a lot of energy, a lot of hope and a lot of nature,” Dekker said. “Worthington is a place where there are a ton of parks, a ton of green space, and I think a lot of that inspires a lot of the artists that live, work and create there.”
With an accessible jewel-box city all around it, "Picture Worthington: Art Walk," Dekker says, is primed to become an annual event.
“(Worthington) is such a walkable city, it’s such a welcoming city and especially in the Old Worthington Historic District,” Dekker said. “I think that especially with the response to our call for art and the response of other artists that want to be involved in future projects, we could certainly do this again and again and again and not run out of ideas.”
