Arts Council creates corporate connections

Her first venture is Banks are Beautiful, Credit Unions are Classy! The program kicks off Sept. 13 with a showing of local artists’ works at Guaranty Bank’s main branch, 1341 W. Battlefield Road. That showing runs through Oct. 12.

“I realized that it would be neat if the banks would be willing to put up real, original art for people to come in and see and enjoy,” Smith said. “It’s another venue where artists can show and maybe sell their work, and it will help give the bank employees a more beautiful place to work.”

Beautifying spaces

Marketing Director Carlye Wannenmacher said Guaranty Bank received a letter sent out by SRAC advertising the idea, and the bank realized the idea would mesh well with the Sept. 13 Business After Hours event it will host for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have something local that’s interesting that we could utilize to enhance our event?’” Wannenmacher said. “Plus, we also have the space to do it – we have a very nice lobby area with an elevator bank and hallway, and we thought that would be a perfect space.”

Carter Cramer, John Fulton and Julie Mignard are the three artists to be featured at Guaranty Bank, the first institution to sign on for the program. Those artists were chosen, Smith said, to create a variety of different styles and media.

Mignard, who paints mostly with oil on linen, said the program is a great opportunity for her artistic career.

“Sandra asked me to show my paintings because they’re quite large and would be good for corporate settings,” said Mignard, whose studio is in her Springfield home. “I’m hoping that, because the chamber will be there, perhaps that will get me started along that line.”

The bank program’s next institution is Old Missouri National Bank, which has signed on for SRAC’s October showing, and as Smith said, “Springfield has no shortage of banks and credit unions, and more are moving in all the time.”

The next stop for Smith is doctors’ and dentists’ offices. She said Dr. Carl Price of Ferrell-Duncan Clinic’s Center for Plastic Surgery has expressed interest in the program, though he would need approval from clinic managment.

“The healing process isn’t just about what you can do surgically or with medicines; there’s a spiritual side to it,” said Price, who is also vice president of SRAC’s board of directors. “Having beauty around helps you heal, and having beautiful art when you walk to your doctor’s office sets a nice tone.”

The business of art

Smith isn’t stopping with banks and medical offices, though. SRAC also has created the Storefront Studio program, a partnership with architecture firm Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc. that allows artists to rent vacant space in the company’s building on Main Street to use for studio space.

BRP principal Tim Rosenbury said the venture fills a void. “Artists just need a place to work,” he said.

While the numerous ventures do mean extra work, Smith said that supporting is vibrant arts community in the 26-county region SRAC serves is worthwhile.

“There are a lot of artists here, and they’re dedicated to their work and their studios, so I stay up nights trying to figure out how to help,” she said. “My theme is to paper this whole town with art. I want to make Springfield Art City U.S.A.”[[In-content Ad]]