Room to create, explore, and experiment
Paint water, clay dust, glue, thread, ink—creative learning is wonderfully hands-on, and the furniture in the room has to keep up. That’s why we love spotlighting customers who create spaces where people can make, try, and start again.
While Worthington Direct is best known for helping K–12 schools find high-quality furniture that supports students and teachers every day, we also get opportunities to partner beyond the classroom—places where learning is just as real, but the projects might involve watercolor washes, ceramics tools, or mixed-media experiments.
Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, Maryland is one of those places: a community hub focused on visual arts education through classes, exhibits, and programs.
Artist and Instructor Callie Otness works alongside a student during watercolor class—where instruction and creativity meet at the same table.
About The Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, MD
The Delaplaine Arts Center in Frederick, Maryland provides the region with educational opportunities and experiences in the visual arts through classes, exhibits, and programs.
The center welcomes more than 75,000 visitors each year and features five main on-site galleries with 50+ exhibitions annually, plus studios that host 250+ classes and workshops for all ages.
That’s a lot of creativity moving through the building—and a lot of studio tables doing the unsung work of supporting it.
The Goal: Better Studio Flow for Hands-On Art Classes
Flexible table layouts for watercolor, ceramics, sewing, and more
When you’re running classes across multiple mediums—painting, watercolor, sewing, ceramics, collage, and more—you need surfaces that can handle frequent use and frequent cleanup. You also need studio layouts that can flex:
- Tables that can be grouped for demos and collaboration
- Enough space for supplies and works-in-progress
- A setup that feels inviting for beginners and repeat students alike
For Delaplaine, improving some of their studio workspaces meant investing in tables built for day-to-day making.
MG2200 activity tables arranged for class time—ready for watercolor students to settle in, spread out, and create.
The Solution: 16 Marco Group MG2200 Activity Tables (Over Two Years)
Worthington Direct support from selection to delivery
Worthington Direct sales rep Sharon partnered with Delaplaine’s Instruction Manager, Hana Malone, to furnish their studios with 16 total tables over a two-year period—8 tables one year and 8 the next—to support a better studio experience for instructors and students.
As Hana shared:
“We bought 8 [tables] last year and 8 this year. Our art classes make all kinds of art on them! Painting, watercolor, sewing, ceramics, collage and more! Thank you for all of your help”
Those words say it best: the right tables don’t just fill a room—they enable the work.
Why Durable Studio Tables Matter in Creative Learning Spaces
A smart fit for K–12 classrooms and beyond
Whether it’s an art room in a middle school, a museum education studio, or a community arts center class, the needs are surprisingly similar: durability, flexibility, and a space that welcomes participation.
Studio-ready tables help by:
- Supporting a wide variety of projects (wet, dry, neat, messy—sometimes all in one class)
- Making collaboration easy (group tables together, spread out, reconfigure as needed)
- Creating a “ready-to-learn” environment that feels intentional and professional
Marco Group MG2200 Activity Table—selected for Delaplaine’s studios to support everyday making across a wide range of mediums.
Takeaway: Furniture That Supports Creativity Anywhere Learning Happens
This Delaplaine project is a great reminder that creative learning happens everywhere—and it deserves furniture that works as hard as the people in the room.
If you’re building or refreshing a space where people learn through making—art studios, design programs, makerspaces, museum education rooms, summer camps, community classes, or K–12 classrooms—Worthington Direct can help match your goals with durable, practical solutions that keep creativity moving.
Artist Credit: The watercolor artwork featured in the blog post image was created by Callie Otness, artist and instructor at The Delaplaine Arts Center.
