Our eyes are sensitive to light, color, temperature, distance and other environmental variables. But, it doesn’t stop there; how we see is also a result of experiences (our eyes see lines and motion, but our brains are responsible for interpreting what we’re seeing), mental capacity (we see differently when we’re tired, or if we’re feeling excited), and biology (the same shade of red will look very different to someone who is color blind than to someone who is not.)

According to the University of Illinois at Chicago Ophthalmology department, the main function of the eye is to “convert light from the outside world into electrical nerve impulses. These impulses then travel to the part of the brain responsible for vision, where they are interpreted as a visual scene.”

When it comes to how we see art, experts have gone as far as eye-tracking studies to determine patterns, behaviors and visual perceptions. When the Frontiers in Neuroscience performed their study, they used pieces with different focal points, colors and designs — all of which played roles in how the subjects studied the pieces with their eyes.

How we see is something artists take into consideration when commissioned to create pieces for public view. Artists are open to considering the physical environment (How will the lighting hit the artwork? How much distance will be between the viewer and the piece?) And how viewers might be feeling when they see it (If they’re in the waiting room of the prenatal wing of the hospital, will they potentially be anxious? Excited? Worried?).

Understanding that there are a variety of factors and variables that go into how people see (physical environment, biology, personal experiences, and emotion) takes an experienced eye, especially when considering what pieces to include in your space that will make the most impact.

posted by Catherine

Finding exhibition space for artists to show their work is a challenge. Sometimes we find space in coffee shops, and sometimes artists’ works are showcased in office buildings. We are also starting to see availability in hospital hallways. Hospitals are renovating but budgets are tight. Is this producing a win-win situation?

In my job with Integrated Art Group, I have seen several situations where healthcare institutions were  interested in reaching out to the community through displaying  a local arts collection. Listening to the needs of the clients, we come up with a variety of solutions; each with their own pros and cons.

I worked with a client in California who expressed a desire to host children’s art shows. We accomplished this by writing a prospectus that could be circulated to area teachers with parameters on size. We then provided the clinic with a rotating art hanging system and frames designed with easily removable backs. The process is implemented by a clinic volunteer and has had positive responses.

A different client was committed to working with local artists but did not want the ongoing responsibility and workload that is required to maintain a rotating art collection. The client’s facility was in a university town, rich with professional artists similar in caliber to what we usually show in our collections. Working with the local gallery and university professors, we gathered a variety of pieces for the review committee. Once selected, we purchased directly from the artist and incorporated the work into our collection as a whole.

Recently I had the opportunity to work with the Edgerton Arts Council. They had independently approached a hospital with an idea about incorporating a rotating art collection that the Arts Council  would oversee. We installed a hanging system for the hospital and the Council manages the selection process and installation of each exhibit.

There are many good things about linking the art in a community with healthcare. For hospital administrators, it is worth learning the pros and cons of each of these arrangements before you make your decision.

Posted by Liese Pfeifer

Everyone can easily list a bunch of traditional visual tools to market your business. There’s your company logo, the photo of your team on the Website, the sign outside your office, and the brochure promoting a new service, just to name a few.

But, using imagery in more subtle ways can prove to be one of the most impactful tools in your marketing arsenal.

Using art as a marketing tool means using images and artful pieces to tap into the senses and send a distinct message. Choosing art pieces for a professional space can directly influence how people feel when they walk into your office — relaxed, energized, curious, safe. It can also play an equally important role in the message you are sending about your brand — creative, professional, comfortable, inspired.

Think about visiting a healthcare clinic. No matter how clean it is, if you walk into a room with inexpensive oil-paint reproductions of clichéd ocean scenes on the wall, ripped or torn magazines in the waiting area, and institutional plastic chairs, it’s a safe bet you’ll associate that healthcare clinic with being outdated, cookie-cutter and certainly nothing special.

Take that same clinic and include a vibrant wall mural by a local artist, swap out the chairs for colorful comfortable seating, and install some fine art by a nationally known artist.

Quite a different message the exact same room is sending!

The key to using art as an effective marketing tool is to understand its impact within its environment. The feelings and impressions that are induced by art are immediate and subtle, and no two reactions will be the same. So, it’s important to understand both the intentional and the unintentional messages the art you incorporate into your marketing are sending.

Art is a constant and continuous influence on people’s lives, whether it’s consciously noticed or not. So, why not tap into this subtle awareness to send a quiet message that you want to send about your brand and your environment?

posted by Catherine

“The arts invite people to leave familiar territory, to explore new answers and seek new questions. The arts offer a means to self-expression, communication, and independence. By learning through the arts, students become lifelong learners, experiencing the joy of discovery and exploration, and the value of each other’s ideas.”

Recently I learned a little bit about Elizabeth’s Canvas. This is not unlike the time I learned a lot more about VSA Wisconsin. Both inquiries started with a client interest; both were researched on the internet. This led to a new world of art and meeting great people doing great things to assist in healing.

I work with clients in both healthcare and business at Integrated Art Group. My work awards me with meeting people ready for assistance with final touches to their expansion, new building, or office uplift. In this capacity, I had the opportunity to work with one of our return clients, M3 Insurance.  In completion of a remodel to their Madison office, it was important to them to incorporate artwork from VSA (formerly Very Special Arts).  VSA is a client of theirs whose mission is to expand the capabilities, confidence and quality of life for children and adults with disabilities through the arts.  This opened a door to look at unique art that not only exudes character, but the purchase helps to support this non profit and allowed M3 to show their commitment to the community.

From VSA, we purchased and installed a fabulous mosaic that was a group effort from a week long class with an art professional. We chose other pieces to be framed and presented alongside the rest of the art collection. It was an exciting transaction to please an employee, support an artist and an arts organization in search of funding to continue its important work.

I am now working with a potential client based in California, who has expressed an interest in Elizabeth’s Canvas. What is Elizabeth’s?

Elizabeth’s Canvas is a non-profit organization that supplies cancer patients and survivors with the art classes, supplies, and creative instruction they need to better cope with their symptoms, improve their well-being, and live empowered lives. Our goal is to prove that cancer will never erase the creative spirit.

I am at the front edge of looking into this new source for art and I energized by the prospect.

Posted by Liese Pfeifer

We are past the shortest day of the year, heading for the Spring Equinox. Coming from the upper Midwest, the season shift is brilliant, full of color with wild variations in temperature and wind for fall. Now we get the new shift once there is snow on the ground. The light is also visibly changing. Have you noticed that? Many people don’t recognize this visual clue, but they feel it in their mood.  

As we experience seasonal changes outside, consider the value that can be found in changing your view inside. 

Changing locations of your current art pieces will result in a fresh, uplifting interior view; not unlike moving key pieces of furniture in your home.  This valuable art service is  known as an Art Restack, which utilizes your existing art collection to create an inspiring new look. Frequently combined with a fresh coat of paint, a Restack can be implemented any time a change is desired. The service offered by Integrated Art Group includes assessing the condition and location of your current art pieces, creating a plan, and reinstalling the art in new locations.  

In a professional environment, an Art Restack has shown to have a positive impact on productivity and employee satisfaction. In a healthcare environment, an Art Restack can provide an extension of the healing environment and showcase your pieces as if it was an entirely new collection. This cost-effective service can also extend the life of your current space by changing the light with your art. Create an interior shift with some simple changes and notice how this transforms your mood for the better. 

We are hosting a restack renaming contest! Check out particulars on Facebook.

Posted by Liese Pfeifer

Year-end is an ideal time to consider investing in the quality of your professional environment

It’s that time of year, when we look at our financials and consider what tax incentives may be available to us. For some, the year-end donation letters from nonprofits roll in, and if the budget allows and the spirit moves us, the money rolls out. Are you a business owner with some wiggle room in your capital expenditure budget? This might be your golden opportunity to turn those funds into an investment … in art. 

What exactly is a Capital Expenditure? We like this definition from Investopedia:

 What Does Capital Expenditure – CAPEX Mean? Funds used by a company to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as property, industrial buildings or equipment. This type of outlay is made by companies to maintain or increase the scope of their operations. These expenditures can include everything from repairing a roof to building a brand new factory.  

Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to write off artwork on their taxes. Instigated to boost the economy, the dollar limit for this tax benefit is very generous, which makes year-end an ideal time to consider investing in the quality of your professional environment; by upgrading the look of your reception area, for example, you will positively impact your brand and image. 

Art is an upgrade to any public area within a business. It plays a vital role in visitors’ first impressions and communicates brand, integrity and quality of the company. Art is a worthwhile investment. For investment firms, legal offices, dental offices, corporate headquarters and small businesses, the benefit in beautifying space will be felt for years to come. Style is not an issue when you buy quality.

posted by Liese Pfeifer

I recently had the opportunity of assisting in the buying and merchandising for the new Chazen Museum Shop in conjunction with their grand opening. My boss was gracious enough to allow me some time off from my regular duties at Integrated Art Group to handle this short term assignment. What made this truly interesting was the construction of the shop fixtures was not complete at the time of the much anticipated opening! 

The question arose: How do I take responsibility to create wonderful displays with the new merchandise when the structures to put them on do not exist? The inquiry of “Why did this happen?”  And “Who is responsible?” truly lose their value. The real question is: How am I going to make this place look great with what I have by the deadline? The quick two-step begins. 

Necessity is the Mother of Invention. I ended up creating a structure out of empty packing boxes that was the size and height of the missing cases. I wound this big cardboard rectangle with “caution” construction tape. No use pretending. I cut and painted two pieces of plywood to stabilize the surface and voila: a display area! 

The jewelry case was certainly a bit more challenging. The structure was built but the glass sides and top were not yet installed. Thick display boards for each jeweler were made and placed on the base as if the case was complete. The elegance was lost and but the open air approach made it exciting. The sales proved a success.   

 The week-end of opening festivities was a success. The public appreciated the creativity involved with problem solving the missing display cases. The flurry of activity carries over into my “real job” with the reality that I am used to doing whatever it takes to make the presentation wonderful, each time and on time.

The ANGEL Ride was last week-end and this week-end the Angel creation of Margaret LeMay has flown out the door to the street. This well thought out piece is rich in symbolism. Puzzle pieces symbolize autism as does the color blue.  10,000 puzzle pieces were painted, hole punched and strung onto a coated wire cable.  They reference the 1:10,000 persons that were diagnosed with autism annually prior to 1990.  Now, according to the Center for Disease Control the current figures are staggering – 1:91 are diagnosed with autism, that figure does NOT take into consideration, Asperger’s, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) or PDDNOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified)!  Over seventy feet (70’) of puzzle chain was fashioned into a DNA double helix strand inserted into the center of the windmill collapsing into a jumble at the base of the windmill (Autism is described by some experts as a “train wreck” of every system in the body).  Barbed wire links create the junctures of the DNA strand at every 91 puzzle pieces – creating a visual reference of the 1:91 ratio of autism cases diagnosed currently.

The inspiration is from Maddie’s drawings of angels. Below is Maddie in the glass lab making the eyes. Bids for this amazing sculpture will benefit the ANGEL non profit for Autism. The auction will be held in Evansville, September 18 at 2PM.

posted by Liese Pfeifer

INTEGRATED ART GROUP, LLC. SPONSORS LOCAL ART FOR AUTISM FUNDRAISER.

Margaret LeMay owner of Integrated Art Group LLC has put her artistic talents to work this past year by designing and building and 8’ sculpture on the frame of a windmill.  The sculpture will be auctioned off at Evansville’s Harvest Windmill Festival September 17, 2011 – with all the artist’s proceeds going to A.N.G.E.L (Autism Network, Guidance, Education, & Life).  A.N.G.E.L. is a non-profit organization with three key points:

A.N.G.E.L.’s mission is to offer financial and emotional support to each individual child and family with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with compassionate guidance, and delivery of therapies or services of that family’s choice.

A.N.G.E.L. is dedicated to raising awareness of ASD by offering education for those in our community interested, we do this through providing information regarding a number of the treatments and services available

A.N.G.E.L. also offers support to Wisconsin families of children with autism through meetings, conferences, social outings, and networking parents-to-community, and parent-to-parent resources.

On a personal note: The ANGEL sculpture was inspired by LeMay’s daughter Madeleine’s drawings of winged creatures with 3 eyes and legs.  Madeleine was diagnosed with autism at 22 months of age.  Conventional medicine in the United States claims no known cause or cure for autism.  Madeleine’s condition and symptoms were so severe that by age 14 the family was referred by their team of experts to Rogers Memorial Hospital and long term institutionalization was recommended for Madeleine.  That same year, by chance(?), the LeMay’s rode in a motorcycle fund raiser “Crusin’ for Autism” and were connected with A.N.G.E.L. (Autism Network, Guidance, Education, & Life).  Within months of starting biomedical “alternative” treatments at ARCH Medical Center Madeleine’s condition had improved and hope for her diagnosis and quality of life was ignited.  Today, at 18 years old, Madeleine lives at home with her family as they continue on this journey of autism together. As a fund raiser for A.N.G.E.L (Autism Network, Guidance, Education, & Life) LeMay hopes to create an awareness of the gravity and impact of autism on individuals, families and the community and to raise funds to support A.N.G.E.L’s efforts.

Posted by: Margaret LeMay

Image: Palaske Pond by Mortensen

I was in a meeting yesterday where a designer described seeing in her brother’s home, an undersized piece of art in the living room. It was obvious to this design professional that the proportion was way off. “Look at the size of the room and the size of the couch.” The intimate art piece was appropriate for a nook by the telephone where the viewer could gaze at close proximity.

Decisions with art choices can be daunting for those who do not have confidence in their visual skills. When looking at a line item on a building budget of possibly $2.00 per square foot, a CEO or facilities manager might push back decisions because of fear of not making the right choice. What if I don’t like it when the art is up? What if Dr. ____ doesn’t like it? Taking responsibility for visual decisions, especially when this is not your background, may feel like a heavy cloud.

In The Psychological Experience of Beauty (07-07-11) , Forsythe and Sheehy review the literature on beauty. They conclude that “Clearly there is no one factor that is truly responsible for our aesthetic experiences. Neuropsychology has taken us some way towards understanding why the structures of some paintings enable us to process and understand paintings as they are in the three-dimensional world. Cognitive theories help us understand how memory and experience shapes our likes and dislikes, and evolutionary theory explains why we will always have a preference for the natural over the anthropogenic.”

Although Forsythe and Seehy are developing a computer program to assess the “best”, I suggest simply hiring a professional art consultant. By working with someone who does this daily, the decision process will be guided and easy.

Posted by Liese Pfeifer