How art consultants add value to commercial projects depends on their skill set. The art consultants on our project management team guide clients through the entire art acquisition process from discovery to installation. They’re equally comfortable in the worlds of art, architecture, interior design, and construction. And they have impeccable project management skills. In this article, we’ll introduce you to them. You’ll learn about their experience, training and certifications. And you’ll see why our art consultants add so much value to a commercial project. Read on to learn about the team.
- Inda Hahn, Creative Director
- Melissa Spence, Art Consultant & Project Manager
- Sarah Young, Art Consultant & Project Manager
- Emily Palmer, Art Consultant & Project Manager
- Joyce Rosa, Art Consultant & Project Manager
- Taylor Alvis, Art Consultant & Project Manager
- Zarina Adams, Art Consultant & Project Manager
- Conclusion
Inda Hahn, Creative Director
PMP, IIDA, LEED AP
As creative director, Inda Hahn has a hand in all projects at Art + Artisans. She provides the creative strategy, criteria, and direction that guides each art consultant in their individual efforts. With a bachelor’s degree in interior design and a double minor in art and technology, Inda can speak to all disciplines involved in her projects. She’s a Registered Interior Designer, a member of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification, and an International Interior Designer Association Member.
A Registered Interior Designer Who Gets You
Inda is a Registered Interior Designer who’s worked in commercial design. Just like many of our clients. Which is why she’s so good at anticipating their needs. “I know their pain points,” Inda says. “I know they don’t have time to manage an art consultant and handhold. They’re looking for a partner they can count on to make them look good to their client.” It’s this understanding that helps Inda ensure every art package we present works with the vision for the project’s interior design.
A Certified Project Management Professional That's LEED Certified
Inda has 15 years of project management experience and she’s PMP certified by the Project Management Institute, the global authority on project management. She’s also a LEED accredited professional. With her advanced knowledge in green building, she can offer guidance about how various artist mediums will affect her clients’ LEED certification projects.
An Art Consultant That Speaks Construction
Inda knows construction and she speaks the language. Which means she can help clients come up with ideas to keep costs down. Like value engineering art or advising on artwork installation methods before building construction begins, to prevent costly mistakes.
Melissa Spence, Art Consultant & Project Manager
WELL AP
Project Manager Melissa Spence boasts a background in architecture, fine art, and graphic design. She studied all three subjects in college, earning an associate’s degree in architecture and a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
An Art Consultant that Adds Value with an Architectural Background
Earlier in her career, Melissa ran large format blueprint machines for an architectural firm. She later worked in the art department creating color boards and renderings. She’s comfortable talking to architects and interior designers and can decipher the best places for art by reading a floor plan.
Experienced with High-Quality Fine Art Reproductions
Melissa worked as a pre-press specialist capturing digital files of original fine art to produce high quality giclée reproductions on paper, canvas, aluminum, acrylic, mirror, and wall murals. Which makes her an invaluable resource for our clients who want to order reproductions or original graphic art.
A WELL Accredited Professional to Guide You with Evidence-Based Strategies
Since Melissa is a WELL Accredited Professional, she can advise clients on how to earn innovation points with art. Like putting art in stairwells to attract employees to use the stairs. Clients also gain a point for their WELL projects by having a WELL AP like Melissa on the team.
Sarah Young, Art Consultant & Project Manager
PMP
Project Manager Sarah Young has an educational background in fine art and a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. Thanks to her graphic design skills, she can easily create renderings to help clients visualize how a piece of art will look in their space. And because she’s trained in principles of design— things like color theory, composition, and layout—she knows how to best pair art with interior design.
A Signage Expert from the Print and Architectural Industries
During her career, Sarah has worked as a creative director and a project manager in the print and architectural sign industries. She did everything from designing and making signs to managing all stages of production and installation. Through this work, Sarah became comfortable working with artists and alongside construction workers. She also managed clients, deadlines, and budgets — skills that directly translate to her work today.
A PMP-Certified Project Manager
Sarah is PMP (project management professional) certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the global authority in project management. A certification that requires at least 36 months of on-the-job project management experience to even qualify for the exam.
Emily Palmer, Art Consultant & Project Manager
Project Manager Emily Palmer graduated from The Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in painting and a minor in art history. She’s been working with gallery owners, artists, and high-profile clients since her career began. Her grasp of what’s popular in the moment allows her to guide her clients to select artwork that will drive publicity and interest to their properties.
Trained Under Leading Art Specialists and Handlers
Emily cut her teeth at Christie’s Global Auction House in London. Which had her working closely with the world’s leading art specialists and handlers. She became knowledgeable about all kinds of art and was able to speak to clients about the constantly changing exhibits.
An Art Consultant Who Knows the Art Market
Emily was also the first point of contact for clients looking to sell their art through Christie’s. It was up to her to decide which of the hundreds of submissions made it to her department’s specialists to be appraised. A job that took a tremendous amount of research and understanding of the market. Not to mention impeccable client service.
An Expert in Client Service, Art Sales, and Installation.
Emily also worked at the prestigious Halcyon Gallery in London, purveyors of modern and contemporary art. There she worked closely with the president. She was trained to work hard in order to understand her high-profile clients’ tastes, interests, and needs. Once the sale went through, Emily was in charge of invoicing and arranging and managing installations. It was an experience that left her feeling completely at home with art galleries, artists, and busy clients.
See more images of 1121 Symphony Square and other projects.
Joyce Rosa, Art Consultant & Project Manager
ISA-AM
Project Manager Joyce Rosa has an MFA in art history with a focus in modern art. She’s worked for over ten years in art valuations, art procurement, collections management, and contract negotiations. She has a meticulous attention to detail and the ability to advise clients on the investment value of a piece of art. During her work for art galleries, she learned to understand her clients’ individual needs through their existing collections. She also curated programs, and learned all the different methods to install art.
An Accredited Fine Art Appraiser
Joyce honed her project management, research, and assessment skills working for museums, assessing art on loan to other institutions. This inspired her to become an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers. She stays IRS-compliant through USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice). And she keeps current with Art Law (IACET), a continuing education course for legalities regarding artist contracts, selling, consigning, auctioneering of art.
Taylor Alvis, Art Consultant & Project Manager
Taylor Alvis’ practical work history and theoretical education make her the perfect art consultant and project manager. Taylor is a graduate of the prestigious master’s degree program in History of Design and Curatorial Studies at Parsons in conjunction with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Through her education, Taylor learned to look at spaces holistically. She considers how objects reflect the larger culture and how art fits with interior design.
Educated in Design Theory. Practiced at Art Logistics.
Taylor’s work for a fine art logistics company, on the other hand, gave her a detailed understanding of packing and shipping artwork, international customs, and art installation. It also taught her to deal with the unexpected, think on her feet, be a problem solver, and prioritize.
An Art Consultant with Specification Writing Experience
Taylor also performed specification writing for an interior design firm. It was her job to ensure everything was scaled correctly on the floor plans after designers made their selections. She pulled art selects and coordinated installs with vendors. Which means she’s totally comfortable reading our client’s floor plans and advising on the best places for art placement.
Zarina Adams, Art Consultant & Project Manager
Project Manager Zarina Adams uses her educational background in urban planning and art history to help create spaces that positively affect people. “Art can influence the way people subconsciously perceive place,” Zarina says. “It can turn a building into a place where people gather and make community. It’s even been shown to bring down crime rates.”
An Urban Planner and Art Historian with Client Services Experience
Zarina’s previous experience working in client services pushed her to become an effective writer and communicator. Something she still relies on to help her clients envision a piece of art in their space. “Creating a vision with words can be so helpful,” Zarina says. “We’re often showing them an artist’s previous work and the client has to use their imagination. So we have to clearly communicate what we want them to envision and what the potential of a project is.”
Conclusion
Our art consultants have a wealth of specialized knowledge about art, architecture, interior design, and construction. With our comprehensive database of thousands of vetted artists, we can help you find the right art for your space, timeline, budget, and specified surfaces. Contact us to learn how we can put our skills to work for your next commercial project.
