ART MATTERS INDEED

I will never forget the day a call came in from the CFO of ING North Americas. "How fast can you get art up on the walls?" It was the right after the financial crisis in 2007 and among countless other businesses, the otherwise lucrative art consulting industry came to a screeching halt overnight. Their company had just moved into a high rise building in Midtown Manhattan and the CEO understood that putting their existing art collection up on the walls would help to calm things down in an immediate and tangible way.

Artwork replacing blank walls matters to worried employees concerned about job stability. Art selection by each employee for their office matters for a sense of inclusion and to promote interactive dialogues among employees about the art. Art decor matters to individuate and enliven an otherwise neutral space. Art education matters for employees with limited time to get to galleries and museums. Art composition matters to the observer, conscious or not, to serve as a catalyst for creative thinking outside the box.

These wise executives instinctively knew that an investment in a corporate art program would improve their employees' sense of stability and their general sense of well being, through camaraderie and inspiration. This ultimately benefits their bottom line. Art matters indeed.