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TRENDS
Corporate Art for Public Use
By Cindy Teasdale
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Last June UMB Bank unveiled one of the largest indoor murals in
the St. Louis area at their downtown branch. “Spirits of St. Louis,”
created by internationally known artist Frederick Brown, is a
fabulous example of how corporate art can enrich public spaces,
as the mural can be seen from the street and is well lit for night
viewing as well.
| Public
spaces come alive with art as illustrated by this
indoor mural at UMB Bank. The mural is a 100-foot-long
three-dimensional visual depiction of the St. Louis
region’s history. |
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UMB’s Kemper family has a rich history of patronizing the arts,
and the mural is a culmination of the family’s dedication to both
the arts and the local communities within which UMB operates.
“One of the greatest distinguishing marks of a community, a corporation,
or a city, is its commitment to art,” says R. Crosby Kemper Jr.
“Creating great art in public spaces is a way to give back.” The
mural is a 100-foot-long three-dimensional visual depiction of
our region’s history, with subject matter ranging from the Cahokia
Indians to the St. Louis Rams.
Though St. Louis boasts a number of generous private patrons of
art for public use, many professionals in the arts community feel
that much more could be done, and there are numerous resources
available to help clients streamline the process of creating art
for communal spaces.
“Traditionally people look to the public sector to improve public
spaces,” says Emily Blumenfeld, co-founder of Via Partnership,
LLP. “But private entities are often in a better position, with
access to the space and the financial resources, to commission
public artworks. And many, such as UMB, may also be able to push
the envelope and really challenge the status quo when it comes
to corporate art.”
Blumenfeld and partner Meridith McKinley, who met while working
for Bi-State’s Arts in Transit program, founded Via Partnership
last year to develop and implement public art strategies for public
agencies, private entities and community groups. “We do everything
from the initial conceptual and development phases to community
involvement, artist selection and installation,” Blumenfeld says.
“It’s great to see entities like UMB taking on such substantial
projects,” Blumenfeld continues, “and commissioning—not just purchasing—art
that creates a friendly space and engages their customers as well
as passers-by on the street.”
Via isn’t the only business out there dedicated to assisting companies
in working with artists: Morse Fine Art Studios, Inc. (MFAS) has
been helping corporations brighten their walls and courtyards
for 13 years. “MFAS works to bridge the gap between the corporate
world and the art world,” says Stacey Morse, who founded the arts
visioning and strategic planning company with husband Stuart;
both are artists themselves.
“We work directly with clients to understand their interests,
identify their goals and provide creative solutions to meet specific
project criteria,” Morse says. “Getting involved in the commissioning
or purchasing of art can be intimidating for those not familiar
with the field. Our job is to make the process faster and simpler
for the client.” Their client roster includes HOK, Sun Microsystems,
the City of Chesterfield and the Center of Contemporary Art.
“Corporations that have a history of investing in the arts are
great assets to our community, but unfortunately they are fairly
rare, and also tend to be huge companies. We’d like to help create
an environment where start-ups and mid-sized companies begin to
consider the impact of displaying art.” Morse also stresses the
value of hiring local artists for local projects.
For companies or organizations that don’t have the resources or
long-term needs to purchase fine art, Art St. Louis has developed
a program where groups can hire them for a small fee to install
exhibitions of local artists’ work for sale. There are currently
eight installations around St. Louis, including shows in the Mayor’s
Office, the lobby of the Metropolitan Square Building and The
World Trade Center.
Local artist Harry Weber, best known for his eight bronze St.
Louis Cardinals sculptures surrounding Busch Stadium, also feels
that corporate art for public uses can be one of the best ways
to improve a community’s image. “I hope that in time projects
like the UMB Bank mural will inspire an air of friendly competition
in St. Louis to come up with bigger and more exciting ventures.”
Weber is currently working on a three-dimensional project with
muralist Peter Engelsmann and mason Todd Rundquist at the Drury
Inn in the old Fur Exchange Building, directly across the street
from the UMB Mural.
“St. Louis offers a lot of unique art experiences, like the City
Museum and Laumier Sculpture Park, that are invaluable to citizens
and visitors,” Weber says. “At the same time though, there are
so many public spaces, especially downtown, that are just begging
for some kind of interactive, accessible work of art to engage
passersby.”
Artist
Frederick Brown in front of the
mural “Spirits of St. Louis.”
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That fact will
change, though temporarily, as soon as next spring, when figures
from the “People Project” begin to sprout up all over the 12-county
metropolitan area. People Project, formed through a partnership
with the Regional Arts Commission and Focus St. Louis, will model
its design and placement of artists’ human figures after Chicago’s
Cows on Parade exhibits.
“We expect to work with hundreds of local artists,” says Porter
Arneill, director of public art and education for the Regional
Arts Commission, “and hope to convince private donors and corporations
in the area to purchase figures that we’ll place all over the
St. Louis region.” The fiberglass characters will stick around
for the summer, and then be auctioned off in the fall, with all
proceeds being infused back to local arts organizations.
Even with innovative projects like “People Project” in the works,
there’s still plenty of room for more art commissioned by private
organizations. “I would hope that projects like “Spirits of St.
Louis” will stimulate other groups to start collections or commission
work that is available to the public,” says Kemper Jr. “It’s good
for business, good for citizens and good for St. Louis.”
Cindy Teasdale is a St. Louis-based free-lance writer.
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