The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
Allison Willford
Creative Strategist, Real Estate Professional, and ArtistBio
Allison Willford holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art from Bowling Green State University, where she developed a strong foundation in visual storytelling, design, and creative problem-solving. Her artistic practice is rooted in the belief that art can connect people, preserve stories, and bring meaning to everyday spaces.
Based in Columbus, Ohio, Allison is a multidisciplinary artist, creative strategist, real estate professional, and community advocate whose work blends personal narrative, found objects, and themes of resilience, healing, and belonging. Her ongoing art series, A Series of Incredible Events, explores transformation through lived experience, using layered materials and symbolic elements to reflect growth, adversity, and hope.
In addition to her studio work, Allison integrates art into community spaces and neighborhood initiatives, often collaborating with local artists, small businesses, and grassroots organizations. She is passionate about making art accessible and visible in everyday life, from gallery settings to public and shared environments. Her broader creative mission centers on building connection, supporting local voices, and using art as a tool for reflection, empowerment, and community well-being.
Artist Statement
My work begins with lived experience. I create from the intersection of memory, resilience, and the quiet moments that shape who we become. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art from Bowling Green State University, where I first found my voice through video. Storytelling through motion, sound, and visual narrative was where my artistic path began, and that foundation continues to influence how I see, document, and interpret the world today.
Video taught me to notice the in-between moments… the subtle shifts in emotion, the layers beneath what we first see, and the power of capturing something real as it unfolds. That perspective now carries into all of my work. Even in my static pieces, there is a sense of movement, sequence, and story, as if each layer is a frame in a larger narrative.
I am drawn to the beauty in what has been overlooked, weathered, or discarded. Many of my pieces incorporate reclaimed objects and symbolic elements that reflect the complexity of life… the cuts, the repairs, the growth, and the strength that comes from continuing forward. My series, A Series of Incredible Events, is rooted in transformation and recovery, exploring how life’s hardest moments can reshape us while still revealing grace, grit, and humanity.
Art, for me, is not separate from life. It is how I process, connect, and give shape to experiences that are deeply personal but widely shared. My work often reflects themes of survival, belonging, healing, and the quiet power of endurance. I am interested in the tension between fragility and strength, and how both can exist at the same time.
As someone deeply connected to community, I believe art should live beyond gallery walls. I am passionate about integrating art into everyday spaces and making it accessible, relatable, and rooted in real stories. Whether through video, found-object collage, layered visual work, or community-centered creative projects, my goal is to create pieces that help people feel seen, understood, and a little less alone.