Imagine your art on permanent display in a lobby or conference room of a corporation. Getting your art into corporate art collections is a big career boost. It brings money and prestige and builds your reputation. Many businesses today are recognized for their valuable art collections and are extremely influential in the world of art and business. In this article you’ll find out what the corporate criteria is, how corporations purchase art, how to make contact, how to start selling your art to corporations, and more.
Corporate Criteria
A corporation’s interest in art is most often to build a collection of work that adheres to the highest standards, while it also must consider the needs and style of its own corporate personality.
Consider this: Your work may be very suitable for corporate collections if it addresses two or more of the following needs: Does it reflect and enhance the corporate image of the company? Does it decorate the walls and improve the working environment and productivity? Does it fulfill the percent-for-law requirements? Does it qualify as a sound investment? Is it pleasing to the eye? Does it boost morale?
In addition to providing these assets to the corporation, the purchase of the art must appease the stockholders, who often look askance at buying art as an unnecessary expense. The art must satisfy the employees who might prefer that the money be spent on salary hikes. In particular, corporations that are cutting out jobs do not want to appear as if they’re spending too much money on art.
How Corporations Buy Art
Corporations use one of two methods for developing their collections. They either have inside personnel that buy art directly from artists and galleries, or they hire outside corporate art consultant firms that specialize in providing art for companies from their relationships with several artists.
It’s easy to learn about the artistic preferences of companies. A visit to their spaces and websites will clearly inform you about their tastes. Their brochures and advertisements will communicate their brand. Interviews with the business owners and CEOs will tell you about the kind of image they want to project.
How to Make Contact
Don’t be timid about contacting corporations directly. Obtain information online or in a phone call. Find out about the company’s policy about collecting art. Ask for the name of the art director, art consultant, public relations manager or corporate communications director. Inquire into the nature of the existing art program and the appropriate way to make one’s work known. Ask the individual in charge about what types of materials are required for the evaluation and specifically what kind of art they’re looking for.
You may need to simply supply a link to your website or mail representative images with your bio and price list. So, please make sure the images on your website or jpgs do justice to the work and are shown to their best advantage.
Finding Corporate Prospects
When seeking prospective business buyers it’s easy to find leads. Look for new companies that are moving into your neighborhood. Contact companies that already own your work to find out if they are expanding in size or building new offices. Contact architects and interior designers who have new corporate clients. Ask your artist friends who have sold their art to corporations how they did it. Research your connections on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Prospects can also be found in general and special interest publications, luxury and travel magazines and art publications, just to name a few.
Selling through Corporate Art Consultants
It makes a lot of sense to sell your art through one or more corporate art consultants since they have several corporate clients. After you establish a working relationship with one or more art consultants it will insure you of a steady stream of income as well as future commissioned projects.
To find corporate art consultants geographically google “corporate art consultants (city, state)” to locate a plethora of these companies and their websites. You’ll quickly find out what types of clients they serve, their services, and pictures of artwork installed in their clients’ venues.
For example, a google search will lead you to Art Matters “Corporate Art Specialists” located in Washington DC. A quick visit to their website will inform you that “ArtMatters represents hundreds of local and national artists in a wide variety of mediums. They state: “Our focus and strength is finding artwork whose color, imagery and scale are appropriate for commercial spaces; creating an attractive and inspiring work environment for our clients.” Their website features several pictures of installations from projects they’ve done.
Making the Right Match
When approaching corporations and corporate art consultants, you should be prepared with the benefits your art will have on the work environment and how it will enhance the company’s mission. The same way you would know which special qualities of your work appeal to individuals, you will determine the types of businesses that would respond favorably to your work.
Taking Your First Step
If you’re new to this process consider first steps. Consider approaching small businesses in your area where you are a customer or client such as a law or accounting firm. Many artists take in their corporate sales are through friends and relatives who place their artwork in their places of business through sales or gifts.
When your work enters a business collection don’t forget to include it on your résumé under “Selected Collections” as this will attract more interest from individual buyers as well as businesses.
Tip from Artist Meg Black
Meg Black megblack.com is an artist who paints using fibrous pulp. As one of a handful of artists working in this exciting medium, she is something of a pioneer, internationally recognized by galleries and collectors alike. Her art is in many corporate collections. She offers this good advice: “Write up a contract to submit to the Art Consultant that states your terms such as payment schedule, payment fee and who is expected to pay the delivery costs.”
Don’t Give Up
Don’t be easily discouraged. At first, you might have to start small. As an example, I know a successful artist who began selling her limited edition prints to companies. Gradually, the corporate executives and employees expressed an interest in seeing her originals. She is now selling her paintings to them and no longer depends on the prints for financial support.
I wish you great success and many corporate sales!
What to Do After the Sale
* Take photographs of your art installed in the corporate space.
* Ask for permission to display the photograph on your website and in your promotional materials.
* Get permission to use quotes from the consultant or business in which they endorsed the purchase.
* Set up a page on your website displaying photographs of the installed art and comments.
* Inform the galleries you are affiliated with about the sale to motivate them.
* Add the corporate collections to your resume under “Public Collections” and add the information to your Artist’s Biography.
* Send out an email newsletter to your subscribers and followers announcing the news.
Also Read
“Selling Your Art To Interior Designers and Corporate Art Consultants”
“Selling Art in the Healthcare Art Market”
As a painter and fine artist now getting new exposure in the digital art world, (Cape Cod Art Museum just featured two of my new digital prints in their first digital art show) I think corporate art collections would be a great venue for me. I think my work translates to so many environments. I’m going to venture more in this direction for 2024. Thank you for the focus and direction on this topic, Renee! Although I have had amazing success as an artist because I get out there and network. And I paint/create new work every week.
My best advice to other artists is to 1. Do what you love. 2. ALWAYS show it to everyone. 3. Take your artist hat off and put on a sales hat. 3. If you don’t ask you do not receive. 4. Every no shuts one door and opens another.
5. Do not take it personally. All clients have different taste. 6. If you do #1, then never give up. It IS worth it.
Happy Holidays,
Joan
Hi Joan élan Davis, Thank you for reading the article, your kind words about it and your wise advice to fellow artists. Wishing you continued creative bliss and much success!
Renee, I thought this was a terrific article & great advice about contacting & working with corporate. i see that I wrote you before about this piece & sadly, little has changed. I have tried with little luck trying to find out who is in charge of Columbia Presbyterian Collection since its so old and in need of some new art! But will keep trying to get Viridian Artists work out there & mine as well! So glad that you are still out there helping artists!
Keep on keepin’ on!
warmly
Vernita
Thank you Vernita for reading the article and your comment. Don’t give up getting art into Columbia Presbyterian and all other medical facilities you wish. They are truly in need of art and unfortunately have other priorities with need for patient care on the rise and insufficient staff. It can only improve from here. 🙂
Okay – so this is great. But I live in Montana, where there really aren’t ant big corporations to speak of. I’m trying to sell online – along with millions of other artists, so you can imagine how I’m like a needle in a haystack – maybe not even a whole needle! Besides that – the usual very famous artists are promoted. I might as well be selling to the wind.
Yes – we’ve got the usual businesses here – restaurants, hotels, etc. There are some outdoor shows. Good luck with any of those. You’rer lucky if you break even. Now I’m not a beginning artist – I’ve been painting since I was in my teens – I’m 64 now, so I think age works against me now as well – who wants an old rural lady’s work? I challenge you to convince me otherwise.
Thank you Rebecca for visiting, for reading this article, and writing a comment. I’m sorry you feel so frustrated and understand there are things we cannot change. However, when a situation frustrates me I remind myself of Mahatma Gandhi’s quote: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” And, I get busy and take action. I also recall the words of Maya Angelou: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” There are many opportunities, resources and choices available to us all, whatever our age and wherever we live. I wish you the very best!
Rebecca, for you and anyone else who feels frustrated, read this article: Make Positive Changes in Your Art Career
Rebecca, as an artist I also feel your pain. I’m older than you are and Renee’s positive articles have changed my attitude and I started to see and do things differently. I joined a senior artists support group and organized an art show which almost sold out. As Renee reminds us, we can make a difference. I highly recommend reading Renee’s article about Gratitude and her article about opportunities for senior artists. And here’s a favorite quote by Helen Keller. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” Good luck!
Thank you Alexandra. I’m so delighted that my positive articles have made a difference in your life and career. Bravo for organizing your own art show! Here’s a link to the article you mentioned above: A Positive Future For Maturing Artists: https://renee-phillips.com/a-positive-future-for-maturing-artists/ Wishing you continued bliss and success!
HI Renee,
Excellent article which helps to fill in the blanks. I’m thinking whatever your medium these days art is more seen and less heard. As you can like something, but most often have no idea as to the artist or stature of the art. Unless of course that’s your direct field.
So thank you for lending your advice about the industry and options in the corporate and health care opportunities. It is eye opening.
Kind Regards,
Joline Renn
http://www.jolinerenn.com
I am a landscape photographer, I do lighthouses,waterfalls, country estate properties, fall newengland pics etc etc.
But have no luck selling my.pics.Most people love my work but won’t.buy.So I give them away.my pics hang for Florida to Lewiston maine
Hi Bill, have you thought about creating a website so you could reach more prospective buyers? In my decades of professional experience, I’ve learned it’s not about “luck” as you say, it’s about having a plan, being persistent, sharing your enthusiasm, and so many other things that you can do to attract “luck”. Remember, you’re in charge.
I’m very grateful that you visited my website. I hope my articles motivate you and help you change the course from giving all of your art away to selling more of it. You may want to read an article about How Artists Attract “Luck”
I’m in the process of establishing myself as the artist I have been all the while I was a successful career arts educator. I’m working through a systematic program of understanding and developing an “art business” base. Those I’m working with sometimes see my work as interesting but “institutional”. this is because I tend to think through my projects, and embrace “esoteric” notions rather than narrative ones. Until your article, I saw this as my modus operandi and a kind of obstacle.
Thanks for pointing me in a rather obvious direction. I have had the joy and excitement of a few rather large projects. They are all dressed up with no place to go and they need a place to call home.
Book-marking this article.
Stephen, I think your artwork is wonderful and you should be able to find many homes and businesses that will want to buy it. I’m glad this article helped you to gain insight about where you might direct your marketing efforts. Best wishes for your continued success!
I am a artist painter.i want to grant, fellowship,award .residency etc achieve professionally.
Hi Pitambar, you came to the right place! Simple type the words resources for artists in the search bar and you’ll find several helpful articles. Also read the new article “Money For Artists During Challenging Times” https://renee-phillips.com/money-for-artists-during-challenging-times/ Enjoy!
This sounds great Renee, but it’s so much harder for underknow artists to sell to corporate buyers than it was in the past. As the director of a gallery of serious professional artists, you are encouraging me to encourage them to give it another try for at least. one of Viridian’s painters was once quite successful in that arena. As usual, thanks for the encouragement
Thank you Vernita. I’m delighted you enjoyed the article. The artists are very fortunate to have you as their director. In addition to corporations Artists can look towards the growing healthcare industry to place their art. Take a look at this article “Selling Art in the Healthcare Art Market” https://renee-phillips.com/selling-art-in-the-healthcare-art-market/ Happy New Year Vernita!
Hi Renee,
Thank you so much for these enlightening tips! I’m a Cuban artist living in Raleigh, NC and just became unemployed after working at a non profit for 10 years and now I’m going to try to make a living from my art.
Anthony Garcia-Copian
http://www.copianart.com
I just realized the corporate art market is an option for selling art and found your article. The part that resonated with me was that an artist should be “prepared with the benefits your art will have on the work environment and how it will enhance the company’s mission.”
Now that I think about it, that point is a very important aspect of the whole sales process. Thanks for the great nugget of advice!
Paula, I’m delighted this article sparked an interest for you to pursue a new marketing direction with a different perspective. I wish you great success!