Creative Ways to Use Art in Your Business

Seven ideas more interesting than simply “buy art, hang art”.

Artist Michele Taras‘ custom painting installation at Nespresso’s flagship boutique in Yorkdale mall.

Most offices and commercial spaces treat art as an afterthought. Something to fill blank walls. But we’ve also observed many businesses that use their art collections not just for decor and personality (great reasons!), but as a means to strengthen office culture and social ties, commemorate milestones, and instill a sense of creativity in the workplace.

Whether they were ideas we’ve helped execute over the years, or ones we’ve admired from afar, here are some unique ways to extend the value of art purchases for your business:

1. Custom Art Reproductions as Employee or Client Gifts

One company approached us to get a custom commission done of a scene which served as a symbol for their line of work. The commissioned painting was installed in the CEO’s office, but they had a clever approach to extending the value of the custom piece. For a small additional fee, they purchased a license to scan and reproduce the custom artwork as giclee prints on canvas, which they provided as gifts to employees as an anniversary gift. Instead of the typical plaque or certificate, employees now received a tasteful, custom artwork, framed and ready to hang, which cost the company around $100 per gift.

We think this is a great model: commission an original piece tied to your company—your industry, values, or a milestone—and keep that as a memento, then license reproductions to give as gifts for anniversaries, client thank-yous, or holiday presents. One piece, many uses.

2. Live Painting at Company Events

Another company that was seeking a large custom painting for their office requested that a portion of it be painted at their holiday party. We worked with them to select an abstract expressionist artist who was comfortable working in public, who could paint quickly, and who was comfortable working spontaneously with the primary guideline being to incorporate the brand colours. A section was cordoned off at the event so that guests could watch the artist at work, ask questions, and observe its development over snacks and a glass of wine. The artist also gave a short talk to introduce their painting practice to the team. After the painting was varnished and touched-up back at the studio, the company purchased it and installed it in their lobby. Having seen a significant portion of the painting’s creation allowed the employees to feel all the more connected to it!

Artist Lynette Melnyk doing a live painting at a company event.

3. Artist In-Residence

Put out a call to local artists to apply to as an artist-in-residence, sponsored by the company. Sponsorship could involve supplying a studio space, a stipend for time and materials, or an overall project budget for a set period. Applications can be assessed on how well the artists’ intentions for the time in-residence align with the company’s activities and values. Part of the offering could include the artist working on-site, or regularly sharing the development of their project with the business, giving employees a window into the creative process. Upon completion, the company might consider purchasing a piece from the project or promoting it on their channels. One example of this is RBC’s Emerging Artist Residency Program. This is obviously a pretty ambitious and involved program, but they don’t have to be this comprehensive!

4. Meeting Room Themes via Artwork

A client who worked with ArtMatch for an office redesign, and purchased over 20 original pieces, themed their meeting rooms based on the artworks selected for each. The company’s industry inspired them to select various nature scenes for their rooms, but this could be extended to any set of categories. For example, seasons of the year, local neighbourhoods (e.g. “The Kensington Room” gets a piece inspired by Kensington Market), office sights and scenes, colour palettes, moods… the list goes on. Get creative with it!

Spring theme, anyone? Or how about the St. Lawrence Market? Artworks by Daniel Cairo.

5. Milestone Purchases

A small business owner we know purchases or commissions artworks for each five-year anniversary of the company’s operation. They select a new artist each time, and seek out a piece that best represents the past five years, either symbolically or directly. Not only is this a creative way to reflect on the past, but it builds a collection with the company’s personality baked-in, serving as a visual history of sorts.

6. Charity Auction Cycles

Many companies desire rotating gallery walls in their office, often sourced by leasing artworks from artists or “payment by exposure”. We tend to discourage artists from these options, as they don’t help pay the bills! If your company has the budget to do so, an option that achieves the same result, and is fairer to artists, is to purchase artwork at a select frequency (1 piece per year, for example), and display it in the office for the determined time before donating it to a charity auction. There are plenty of auctions for great local charities that gladly accept art donations. This approach has several benefits at-once: decorating your walls with rotating art, fairly compensating artists, raising funds for charity, and a tax receipt!

Read our comprehensive article around tax rules for Canadian Art buyers.

7.Collaborative Pieces for Retreats and Offsites

We heard about one educational company, which values creativity in the classroom, that brought in an artist to lead a session during their company offsite where employees contribute to a single large-scale work. It wasn’t a free-for-all; the artist, who doubled as an art teacher (as many artists do!) gave guidance and coached the participants on how they would approach the development of the artwork, so that the team could learn about painting development and contribute to the finished work. Upon completion, the piece went back to the office in a central location, a lasting reminder of what they made together.

Custom paintings by Alison Philpotts in a BASF boardroom, celebrating the company’s agricultural roots.

Not every idea here will work for every company. But if you’re about to furnish a new office, refresh a stale one, or you’re just looking for a reason to invest in art that goes beyond the purely decorative contribution (which is a valid reason in of itself, supported by this research study by Brookfield) maybe one of these ideas will spark your imagination.

Want to explore any of these for your space? Get in touch—we’re happy to talk through what’s realistic for your budget and timeline.