There are a variety of reasons companies collect art. Art can be a powerful way to promote corporate identity, tell a brand’s history, and reflect its values. Art displayed in the workplace can help attract talent and bring employees back to the office. It impresses clients, improves worker performance and satisfaction, and can even create bonds with the community. But to get the most from their art collections, organizations must be clear about their goals for selecting and acquiring art. They also need systems in place to keep track of and maintain their art collections to prevent items from becoming deteriorated, damaged or lost. The art consultants at Art + Artisans have a wealth of expertise in corporate art collection management. In this article we’ll explain how we help our clients achieve their art collecting goals and retain the value of their collections through our art consulting services.
Who Needs Corporate Art Collection Management Services?
Corporate art collection management services can benefit an organization whether they have an existing art collection or just decided to acquire art for the first time. Putting a strategy in place for acquiring art and creating systems to keep track of and maintain the art allows organizations to get the most from their investment.
Often when clients hire us to procure art for a new space, they already have extensive art collections. These clients often ask us to review their collections to determine what will work in their new space, what needs reframing or restoration, and what they can let go. We ensure that all the new and existing artwork feels cohesive. Once everything is installed in their new space, they have a written document listing all the artwork in their collection and a plan for the care and maintenance of each item.
Corporate Art Acquisition Strategy
Given the variety of reasons for amassing a corporate art collection, those charged with acquiring art for their organization need a clear strategy from which to work. Especially when working as part of a committee. Guiding art selection committees through the art acquisition process is a specialized skillset. Art + Artisans has a wealth of experience guiding stakeholders and committees through the following components of art acquisition strategy:
- Identifying goals for the art: Our project managers guide stakeholders and committees to identify and agree upon the organization’s goals for collecting artwork. Does your organization want to use art to create a workplace that’s more conducive to productivity? Should the artwork tell the brand story? Maybe you want the art to help your organization connect with the surrounding community. Whatever the reason, we’ll help you figure it out and create a plan to achieve it.
- Identifying criteria for the art: Art criteria are the organization’s vision for the art itself. Decisions like aesthetic preferences, types of artists, and preferred media are made during this part of the strategy. Does the organization want to focus solely on local artists? Do they want art that uses only sustainable materials? Do they want something interactive, or something more traditional? Making these decisions helps narrow down the search and focus efforts.
- Establishing the art budget: Establishing a budget can be one of the more daunting aspects of art acquisition for relative newcomers. An experienced art consultant steeped in the art world can guide you through this process. For companies with an established art budget, we can make sure everyone involved in the art selection and acquisition process understands and is on the same page. For organizations who need help arriving at a budget, we can provide guidance based on your criteria, the spaces you have available for artwork, and our prior experience on similar projects.
- Setting milestones and deadlines: We ensure our procurement meets your deadlines by scheduling milestones backward from the projected project completion date. We coordinate appropriate, efficient time to produce on each phase, ensuring artists and vendors are able to meet all deadlines. To help clients visualize our process, chronology and milestones – we supply Gantt charts and other highly accessible scheduling documentation to the client and its parties
Art Appraisal Services
Art appraisals help determine the value, authenticity, and condition of art so that corporate art collectors can obtain the proper level of insurance coverage or engage in art transactions or other legal matters. Art + Artisans offers fine art appraisal services from our on-staff, accredited, fine art appraiser. Art appraisal services include:
- Condition Assessment: We perform a detailed examination of the artwork and document its current state, identifying any restoration or conservation needs.
- Market Analysis: We have access to auction results, gallery sales, and economic indicators in the art world that give us an understanding of current market trends that affect the artwork’s value.
- Justified Opinion of Value: We can provide a justified opinion of value for your art based on market research of comparable artworks of the same type, style and medium.
Corporate Art Collection Inventory and Assessment Services
As your corporate art collection grows, it’s important to create a detailed record of each owned piece. We offer corporate art collection inventory and assessment services performed by our trained, experienced art experts on staff. Inventory and assessment services include:
- Cataloging: We create a catalog of all the artworks in the organization’s collection. The catalogue includes metadata for each work: photography, dimensions, condition reports, artist information such as artist name, birth year, death year and nationality, a description of the art, and a history of each piece.
- Provenance: Included in the history of each artwork is a listing of previous owners and exhibition history. We also include any associated documents such as certificates of authenticity provided by the artist, purchase receipts, or others.
- Location Tracking: The current location of each artwork on display or in storage is documented in the inventory catalogue, along with historical information about past locations of display or storage.
- Assessments of Physical State: We periodically examine the condition of each artwork, comparing it to previous assessments to determine whether the location of the artwork is posing any risk to the state of the piece.
- Preservation and Maintenance Suggestions: We provide suggestions for maintaining the integrity of the artwork, including recommendations for better placements if we deduce that placement is putting the piece at risk.
Conclusion
Corporate art collecting is a popular way for companies and other organizations to promote their values, tell their brand story, attract talent and clients, and engage with the community. But without a clear strategy and systems in place, organizations run the risk of having their art deteriorate, become damaged, or lost. The art consultants at Art + Artisans are experts at corporate art collection management. Contact us to learn how our expertise can help you grow, protect and enhance your investment.
