Worthington Arts Festival 2027

Overview

The Worthington Arts Festival is one of Central Ohio's premier fine art festivals produced by the McConnell Arts Center in coordination with the City of Worthington. Celebrating its 33rd year, the festival draws nearly 30,000 visitors and accepts 120+ artists to exhibit on the Worthington Village Green at the intersection of High Street and State Route 161.

Key dates

• November 1, 2026 – Artist application available on ZAPPlication.org
• February 1, 2027 – Online application due by midnight (EST)
• March 15, 2027 – Notification emailed to accepted, waitlisted, and not invited artists
• May 1, 2027 – Full payment and acceptance due; deadline to cancel with booth refund (minus $25 admin fee); Booth Request Questionnaire due
• June 1, 2027 – Proof of Insurance due
• June 18, 2027 – Artist load-in and set-up (8:00am–5:00pm), with limited setup Saturday June 19 7:00am–8:00am for special cases
• June 19–20, 2027 – Festival (Saturday 9:00am–5:00pm with soft open at 8:00am; Sunday 11:00am–5:00pm)

Eligibility

Open to artists in all fine art and fine craft mediums. All artists must be present to exhibit all days of the festival, including collaborating artists. Collaborating artists may only show their joint work; both names must appear on all application materials and cannot be added after acceptance.

Application requirements

Exhibitors must provide the jury with four images and one booth photo representative of their work. Photos must not have a name on them as the jury is blind. The booth photo must show the entire booth structure layout, providing dimension, scale, and overall presentation of the current body of work; Photoshop imagery will not be accepted. Artists wishing to exhibit work in multiple categories must submit a separate application, images, and application fee for each category (only one booth fee is paid).

Media categories

Ceramics, Digital Art (no AI-generated or influenced work), Drawing and Pastels, Fiber (no machine-tooled or mass-produced work), Glass (kiln-formed, blown, molded, or cast; no mass production), Jewelry (metal, glass, clay, fiber, paper, plastic; limited pre-made material allowed; no commercial casts or molds), Leatherwork, Metalwork (non-jewelry), Mixed Media, Painting (oils, acrylics, gouache, watercolor), Photography (traditional film, hand-colored, emulsion transfers, digital; signed, numbered, dated, limited editions of no more than 250), Printmaking & Graphics (hand-manipulated plates, stones, or screens; signed, numbered limited editions), Sculpture (three-dimensional original work in any medium), Wearable Art (handmade hats, belts, clothing designed, patterned, cut, and assembled by the artist), Wood (hand-tooled, machine-worked, turned, or carved), and Other (for mediums not fitting above categories).

Awards

• $1,000 – Best in Show
• $500 – 2nd Place Merit Award
• $250 – 3rd Place Merit Award
• Honorable Mention
• Award winners are accepted into the following year's show without having to participate in the jury process. Jurors will review artwork on site.

Booth information

Total applications accepted: 300+. Total invitations: 120. Photographers and digital artists must disclose and display their creative and printing processes in their booth during the festival. All submitted work must be original and handmade (factory-produced items are not permitted in most categories).