Businesses are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to motivate and spark the creativity of their employees, and office art is one of the newest trends in accomplishing both of these feats. Whether working together to develop the company's art collection or participating in an office art workshop, art is a great catalyst for unlocking the creative potential of your workforce.

In order to learn the ins and outs of building a corporate collection, or to hold a successful art workshop, you will need to find top-notch corporate art education and training. As you investigate your training options, consider the following:

1. Learning about corporate art services will help you understand how to develop an art collection for your company.

2. Corporate art workshops are a great way to teach employees about art, spur creativity and foster a sense of camaraderie and unity.

3. You can get training directly from corporate art consultants.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn the ins and outs of corporate artwork from a corporate art service

Many corporate art services offer tips and instructional basics for selecting framed art for office buildings on their websites. Use these free online resources to start your primer in corporate art collection building.

I recommend: Go to Corporate Art Gallery for step-by-step instructions on what to expect from working with a corporate art consultant. The company outlines all of the decisions involved, from choosing a piece of artwork to selecting the mat and frame to put it in. Read the New User Guide on PaintingsDIRECT.com to learn what to expect when dealing with an online art consultant.

Get office art training and build team unity with a corporate motivational art workshop

Building an art collection isn't the only way to incorporate art into a workplace setting. Holding or attending an art workshop in which employees learn business skills through art education and creation is an excellent team building exercise.

I recommend: Get your team fired up with an "Art-Work" day from Catalyst Ranch. The one-day class is a unique training event developed with the Art Institute of Chicago to teach important business skills through art education. Sign up for a corporate team building workshop at Go Arty. The company will help your employees strengthen their teamwork through the creation of an art project.

Get an education in 'art for business' from corporate art consultants

Corporate art consultants are experts in art selection and collection building. Consultants can teach you how to add value to and set the tone of your office environment through the purchasing of art.

I recommend: McGowan Fine Art will assess your facilities and teach you how to select art for your corporate art collection. The company will also educate you in the proper hanging and maintenance of your artwork. Visit Holly HackWith Fine Art & Consulting to learn the "Six Steps to a Terrific Corporate Collection."

By placing office art in the hallways, you can inspire your employees to think beyond the confines of the beige walls of your office. Corporate motivational art may even help them through their day, especially when they need encouragement.

Displaying corporate art can also help create a good impression with your clients. By choosing attractive corporate office art, you can send a positive message about your company-that you appreciate the finer things in life, and not just all business. Artwork for a corporate office can be a very good investment.

Consider these things when shopping for office and corporate art:

1. Choose office art that you like. After all, you have to look at it and pay for it.
2. Pay attention to the framing. High-quality framing can make a big difference in the overall effect of art for business offices.
3. Consider what your employees might prefer. Modern or abstract art may be cool, but if your employees loathe a painting every time they have to walk by it, it isn't a good choice.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose art by contacting a corporate art service

You would love to take a day and peruse samples of artwork in local galleries. Unfortunately, you don't have a day to spare. Consider shopping online with a corporate art service and find high-quality artwork by mouse-click.

I recommend: PaintingsDIRECT.com features a variety of styles, such as impressionist or modern, and more than 20 categories, such as animals, people or boats. This website also offers framing and a "View with a Room" design tool to see how your artwork will look in the room. The website features details about each featured artist so you can truly appreciate your corporate artwork purchase. Check out McGowan Fine Art to find out about their art consulting services.

Help support the art world by purchasing original art for business

Original corporate artwork can do more than help boost your creativity. You can also help a starving artist somewhere in the world, and own a one-of-a-kind piece that will appreciate in value.

I recommend: Artistika is a great place to find original art for business. Check out the black and white photos by artist Iriri de la Pena, a Mexican photographer. DSA Fine Arts can commission an original work of art to suit your business space. View the mosaic mural by Lynn Basa and contact the company for your own original artwork.

Find corporate art that motivates and inspires

Perhaps modern art isn't your thing or in your budget. If you only have limited funds to spend on art, consider buying corporate motivational art, usually a striking photographic poster coupled with an inspirational message.

I recommend: Art Inspires is a website for motivational art. Look at "Sandy Dunes," with a message about conviction. You can order this print unframed or framed in metal or wood for an additional charge. Consider leasing art for your office. Corporate Art Gallery can make it possible, with direct purchase, lease to own or short-term borrowing options.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Try periodically rotating your office art to keep the environment fresh and inviting (and to keep your employees on their toes).

Corporate art can include a number of different uses of fine artwork and may refer to anything from the art you hang on the wall in your office to the use of arts-based learning within your corporate culture to provide training for your employees or leadership. Whether you are making decisions about the art that will appear on your walls or the ways that your business team can use art to build skills, however, there are a number of key terms you may need to know.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Office art

Office art is typically used to describe the type of art hanging in your business space, which may be seen in conference and seminar rooms, offices, work spaces and lobby areas. Depending on your office design, office art may be viewed by many customers, clients and other business people, allowing it to reflect a certain corporate image.

I recommend: Framed Art Decor offers several categories of suggested fine art prints for display as office art and discusses the benefits of office art.

Contemporary art

Contemporary art seen in offices refers to art produced by recent, working artists rather than classic artworks that may be better known or recognized. While contemporary art can be purchased as high-quality print posters for display in the office, contemporary art also includes original artwork, such as painting, sculpture and glass artwork.

I recommend: View contemporary art for your office at 9VisionsArt.com, which provides a definition of contemporary art, as well as categories, and distinguishes contemporary from modern art.

Corporate art consultant

A corporate art consultant is employed to help business leadership choose artwork that appropriately reflects a desired corporate image and fits into a particular aesthetic. Corporate art consultants also may collaborate with company leaders to provide additional services, such as art brokering, matting and framing of art, installation and liquidation.

I recommend: For a more detailed idea of what a corporate art consultant does, review Holly Hackwith, Fine Art & Consulting and the six steps for creating a corporate art collection.

Motivational art

Motivational art is present in many workplaces and generally uses a photograph or other artwork paired with a motivational word, phrase or quotation. Many business leaders use corporate motivational art to help engender positive attitudes about work and efficient, productive goal achievement.

I recommend: SelfGrowth.com offers an explanation for how values and behaviors in the workplace and motivational company art are linked.

Commissioned art

Commissioned art refers to any artwork that is designed and created for a specific buyer. Many contemporary artists work largely on commissioned pieces designed with a clear purpose in mind for appearance, message and space. Commissioned art is often used to fill specific office areas, courtyards or atriums.

I recommend: Read an explanation of many types of commissioned artwork from deviantART.

Arts-based learning

Arts-based learning is used in corporate training workshops to take a creative approach to teaching new skills. Art also can be used in team-building exercises to get employees and leaders to think differently when solving problems together. A number of services offer coaching in arts-based learning for corporate training workshops.

I recommend: For more information about how arts-based learning works in corporate training, visit Catalyst Ranch. Art Jam explains how art can be used in team-building workshops.