COMMUNITY OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT
Where Creativity, History, and Community Meet
High Road Gallery & Studios has served Worthington continuously since 2001, making it the community’s longest-running independent visual arts gallery. But High Road Gallery & Studios is more than a gallery—we are a community arts home in Worthington’s historic 1818 house. Our outreach work is rooted in three commitments: creative access for all, historic preservation, and strengthening community belonging through the arts. Below are the core areas of outreach we provide to Worthington and the wider central Ohio community.
1. School & Youth Partnerships
While not a formal academic statistic, surveys consistently find that a very high percentage of children (e.g., 92 % in one study) say creativity activities boost their confidence, which relates directly to engagement, persistence, and success in learning. https://www.parents.com/creativity-boosts-confidence-in-kids-8761133
A joyful wall of sunflowers—each one painted by a first grader from nearby Colonial Hills Elementary—comes together under the leadership of CHES art teacher Kelly Liddil in a radiant celebration of creativity, growth, and community. Studies show more permanent displays of student artwork yield a stronger sense of ownership/belonging in school environment. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258132354_The_Role_Of_Permanent_Student_Artwork_In_Students%27_Sense_Of_Ownership_In_An_Elementary_School
We believe in nurturing young artists and celebrating creativity at every age. HRG partners with local elementary schools to display student artwork, host collaborative murals, and provide inspiring art experiences beyond the classroom.
Current collaborations include Colonial Hills Elementary’s large first-grade sunflower mural—9 feet tall and 5 feet wide—recently exhibited at HRG.
We invite all Worthington schools to share student work with us and create their own collaborative pieces for display.
These partnerships build confidence, visual literacy, and a sense of belonging as children see their art celebrated in a public gallery.
If your school would like to collaborate, we would love to hear from you.
2. Public Art & Community Installations
Art belongs in the open air, where people of all ages can encounter it in daily life. HRG supports and creates public-art initiatives designed to bring joy, storytelling, and civic pride to Worthington.
Citywide projects (such Experience Worthington’s Art Walk)
Outdoor collaborative artwork, such as at the Old Worthington Public Library
Monthly seasonal outdoor events May through October featuring live art-making and music
HRG sculptor Mike Tizzano, shown with his sculpture made for the Old Worthington Library. Studies in placemaking and cultural geography show that "permanent public art helps residents identify more strongly with their community, increasing feelings of belonging and local pride. Landmark artworks become shared reference points that anchor community identity and memory.” (Source: Project for Public Spaces; Markusen & Gadwa, “Creative Placemaking”) https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/CreativePlacemaking-Paper.pdf
While detailed attendance data specific to High Road Gallery isn’t published, research shows that under 7 % of adults attending art museums and gallery events nationally report neurodivergence, highlighting both the need and opportunity for inclusive outreach at community arts events like HRG’s summer programming. https://ww2.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/Arts%20%2B%20Disability.pdf
In one study of school mural projects, more than 90 % of participants agreed that the mural activity was socially valuable to their school community and strengthened relationships and neighborhood connections — suggesting that collaborative art fosters positive social interaction and inclusion among diverse groups. https://parisscholarpublishing.org/a-mixed-methods-social-ecological-approach-to-assess-perceptions-of-staff-and-students/
HRG resident artists create art for the Worthington Art Walk.
Beyond enjoyment alone, research also links creative and visual art activity with enhanced critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and social and emotional development. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/396550405_The_Impact_of_the_Arts_on_Children's_Cognitive_Development
These projects invite residents and visitors to experience Worthington as a walkable creative corridor and are cost-free.
Walkable art and cultural districts in historic downtowns create vibrant, people-centered places that deepen community connection, support local business activity, and improve residents’ sense of belonging and well-being. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2021.721218/full
3. Inclusive Creative Programming for All Ages
From young families to seniors, HRG strives to provide accessible, intergenerational art experiences.
Open Art Table for hands-on creativity. Free weekly collage table for walk-ins.
Senior outreach with Hartford Senior Living October through April through monthly art demonstrations at their facility
Art activities and opportunities for I Am Boundless clients
One of the resident artists visits the Hartford each month to host Art Stories, using their own art to help residents connect with the broader local community.
At a recent Open Art Table, several people share ideas and stories while they collage. Participants compared it to the community formed around quilting circles in the old days. They also commented about the need for this kind of face-to-face relationship in their digital world. Active art-making — such as drawing, painting, or crafting — can significantly reduce stress levels and symptoms of anxiety and depression by helping individuals process emotions and calm their nervous systems. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9472646/
We believe art builds wellbeing, confidence, and connection—no matter your age or ability level.
Research has found that structured arts activities can lead to enhancements in social communication skills and emotional expression for all. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197455624001096
4. Historic Preservation & Cultural Stewardship
High Road Gallery is housed in one of Worthington’s oldest Federal-style buildings, built in 1818. By maintaining and sharing this space, we honor more than two centuries of local history.
Historic preservation grounded in cultural stewardship helps maintain a community’s unique identity and sense of place while supporting social cohesion, economic vitality, and the ongoing transmission of cultural heritage to future generations. https://savingplaces.org/stories/six-essential-reasons-to-save-old-places
Visitors can tour studio spaces and learn about the home’s architecture
We offer exhibits and programs that blend art, history, and community storytelling. For example, we recently conducted a month-long joint exhibit of art with the Worthington Historical Society
When a gathering place disappears: Griswold Inn (c. 1811–1964) For more than 150 years, less than 2 blocks from HRG, the Griswold Inn stood at the heart of Worthington as a place of gathering, travel, and shared civic life. Despite strong community objections, it was demolished in 1964 and was replaced by a bank—one of many such buildings now found throughout the city. Its loss serves as a lasting reminder that when historic, community-centered places are not protected and sustained, they disappear quickly and permanently, taking irreplaceable stories with them. Early records from the Griswold Inn show it served travelers of note as early as 1815, and community recollections link the site with frontier figures such as John ‘Johnny Appleseed’ Chapman. Later oral histories even suggest visits by internationally known authors (Charles Dickens), though these are part of local memory rather than documented archives. What is undeniably true is that the inn was a hub of life, travel, and civic exchange at a time when Worthington was competing to be Ohio’s capital. https://worthingtonhistory.org/2020tour/rooms/the-dining-room/
Our outreach supports both the arts and Worthington’s heritage.
5. Artist Support & Creative Community Building
As an artist cooperative, we provide studio space significantly below market rates, mentorship, and opportunities for emerging and established artists.
We’re celebrating 1,000 followers on social media! Thank you for being part of a growing community that believes in art, connection, and belonging.
Monthly exhibitions by outside artists from our community, Ohio and beyond. No commission is charged to these artists for any work that they may sell at HRG. These same artists are celebrated with free, open-to-the-public receptions and artist talks.
Twelve resident artists working and performing free demonstrations for the public in watercolor, pastel, printmaking, textiles, mixed media, sculpture, and more
Open studio events where visitors can meet artists and experience works in progress
Barriers between ‘artist’ and ‘non-artist’ dissolve during our monthly ‘artist talks,’ when they share their story, values and motivations.
Meeting and learning from a real sculptor like Mike Tizzano helps students see art as a living practice — not just a school assignment — which increases interest and meaningful learning.
We are practicing inclusion through action, not statements. Rather than making abstract claims about diversity, we are demonstrating it through real programming decisions. We think funders and partners value what we do over what we say.
By supporting artists, we strengthen the cultural vitality of Worthington.
6. Special Community Events & Festival Participation
HRG regularly hosts and participates in events that bring the wider community together.
“Art Off the Square at High Road” (formerly “Outside the Lines at High Road”)
Holiday receptions and neighborhood gatherings
Partnerships with the Worthington Partnership, Old Worthington North Association, McConnell Arts Center, Chamber of Commerce, and other cultural organizations
Free activities for families, seniors, and visitors
Our gatherings always include hands-on fun for kids, so families can enjoy art together.
Art Off the Square is a powerful tool for community well-being and cultural vitality (Americans for the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts; U.S. Surgeon General; National Trust for Historic Preservation).
A large meta-analysis found that people with strong social relationships have a 50% higher likelihood of survival, compared to those who are socially isolated.
(Holt-Lunstad et al., Brigham Young University)
These events make the arts visible, welcoming, and woven into the fabric of community life.
Let’s Collaborate
We welcome new partnerships—with schools, businesses, nonprofits, and neighbors who share our love of creativity and community. If you'd like to work with us, display student artwork, sponsor a program, or bring art into your organization, please reach out.
Together, we can keep Worthington creative, connected, and thriving.