Since I have started KPM Arts Consulting, I have had several people ask me “what does an art consultant do?” so I would like to give you a little insight as to what I can do for your business or organization.
The job title art consultant includes the word “art” which implies that I work with art, which I guess is obvious, but you may ask yourself “What kind of art?” There are many different types of art including interior design, graphic art, performance art, etc. I work with the visual arts. This includes artists who create oil, acrylic, and pastel paintings, photography, sculpture, murals, illustrators, etc. These artists are award winning artists who have made their career in the fine art world. Their work can be found in notable corporate and private collections, museums and galleries not only in Wisconsin but across the United States. Many of the artists can boast of selling and exhibiting their work internationally. I choose to work mainly with Wisconsin artists because Wisconsin has an immensely talented group of artists whose work rivals that found on the east and west coasts. I would like to connect businesses with this creative culture and help Wisconsin businesses discover our own resources.
This brings me to the second half of my job title which is “consultant”. As a consultant, my biggest asset to your company is to listen to exactly what your needs are. There are many reasons to incorporate art into the public and private spaces of a business. For example, the right artwork in a hospital will create a comforting environment. Many patients come into a hospital or clinic feeling anxiety or uneasiness. Art creates a calming environment that diverts those negative feelings and helps them focus on something other than their health problems.
You may want to enrich your employees work culture. Having an office filled with artwork stimulates the mind, encourages creativity, reduces stress levels, and gives employees pride in their workplace. Art in the workplace has been shown to increase productivity and affects the employee’s general wellbeing. An article in Forbes May 1 2016, Karen Higginbottom writes in regards to a study created by Cass Business School…
“The impact of art on the individual employee regarding work ethic/motivation, creativity, stress-level and general well-being seems to be greater on women than on men. While 80% of the male respondents agreed that art has a minor effect on their work ethic/motivation; all of the female respondents agreed that it has some effect on them. Specifically, 54% of women acknowledged that art has a moderate to big effect on their creativity at the office (47% of men) and 80% of the women agreed that art at the office could reduce their stress-levels (66% of the men). Furthermore, 92% of the women stated that art affects their general well-being, compared to 71% of the men.”
Finally, you can utilize artwork to reinforce your company branding and image. When clients visit a business, the building and environment is their first impression. Quality artwork visually expresses your company’s philosophies and implies that you provide quality service and products. It also suggests a level of sophistication and prosperity that your clients can be confident doing business with.
As an art consultant, I will work with you to find out exactly how you would like the art to function for your space and offer you the perfect artist pairing for your company.
The rest of my job is logistics. I take care of all the details from acquisition through installation. I work with you to determine budgets, analyze your spaces, traffic patterns, and interior design. My proposals will include specifying artwork, background information on the artists, and framing options. If the project requires a custom piece of artwork, I become the project manager. I purchase, create contracts, develop inventory documents and professionally install each piece. I make it as easy as possible for any company to acquire beautiful artwork.
Every project brings new challenges and ideas that really excite me as an art lover and consultant and I believe that corporate environments create the perfect spaces to express ideas and philosophies through art. If you would like to offer me a challenge contact me, Kim Pigeon-Metzner, at kpigeon@kpmarts.com. Let’s start a conversation soon!