Art and Work: 9 Reasons Why you absolutely must have Art at the office in the New Creative Economy!
By Antonio Arch (Fine Art Consultant – Toronto)
There are enormous benefits to installing Fine Art in the workplace, which is why the world’s most exceptional and successful companies spend millions on art for their offices. It means much more to your PR, HR and talent retention than interior design, benefits and balance sheet.
Here’s the secret why…
1. Art makes people feel productive, creative and fulfilled: thanks to magnetic resonance and CT scan research, we know that art can and will lift the mood and boost the morale of people sitting near it. Art affects the dopamine centres in a positive way, much the same as hearing a favourite song or unexpectedly running into an old friend. Imagine the creativity that follows!
2. Art in a public place has the capacity to attract, educate, enlighten and inspire visitors, especially clients (both prospective and returning).
3. Art installed throughout healthcare facilities makes everyone feel better! Art in hospitals, clinics, examining rooms and offices is widely recognised as a valuable asset to healing and a testament to the quality of care being provided.
4. Art pays for itself! Art is the only investment that gives you a little bit of return every time that you look at it. If that isn’t reason enough, you’ll probably find at the end of the fiscal year that your purchase of Canadian Art was fully tax deductible. Fine Art is an equitable investment in people – yours.
5. Thoughtfully placed art can do a lot to help enhance your brand. It tells visitors to your office something about you as soon as they enter; they leave knowing something synergistic happens at your company. Art in your office is indoor signage communicating your style, aesthetic, regional interests and national identity.
6. Art screams at you. It sends a message without you having to say a word. Your art collection tells the public that you care deeply about your corporate culture. Not only that, it’s a hard copy receipt for your dedication to the arts.
7. Fine Art makes the working environment more pleasant. When Art is placed in public areas, people tend to gather, communicate, and share ideas. It gets people interested, curious and thinking creatively.
8. It improves productivity. Art is a gift to the people around you. The installation of new art invokes pride and inspires dialogue between people who normally don’t have an opportunity to communicate.
9. Fine Art has a profound effect on Public Relations; it reinforces investor and client confidence by conveying your pride in your organization.
Also, it promotes cohesion. Companies with Art Committees work better together. Earmark 1% of your budget this year and watch your people collaborate as never before!
Antonio Arch is a Fine Art Consultant based in Toronto and Grand Cayman; his specialty is in advisory services and providing support to corporate and institutional collectors wishing to lift morale and improve human relations by building purposeful collections of Fine Art in their workplaces. The article Art@Work is an excerpt from his forthcoming book on the same topic.
For more information visit http://www.AntonioArch.com