Corporate art collecting may be motivated by a number of objectives, from creating an aesthetically pleasing work environment to fostering employee engagement to strengthening a company’s image. Businesses that place a high value on art within and beyond the workplace likewise demonstrate an appreciation for innovation, creativity and corporate social responsibility. For the global furniture, interior architecture, and technology company Steelcase, corporate art collecting has created a thriving interplay between art, design and inspiration over the course of its 103-year history.

During the early 1980s, when the Steelcase corporate headquarters (now Steelcase Business Center) was being constructed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, then-Chairman and CEO Robert Pew II decided to greatly expand the company’s existing art collection. In a speech Pew gave before the Grand Rapids Art Museum Society in 1986, he shared his personal belief that art is good business for many reasons. Art in the workplace helps people feel their work has purpose and value, dignifying even the most mundane tasks. By offering new ideas and concepts, the presence of art inspires people to develop superior designs. Fundamentally, art is vital to the human experience—presenting the possibility of connection wherever one happens to be.

Over the course of two decades, Steelcase purchased artwork for the present value it offered, rather than for its investment potential. A curator and art advisor was hired to source fine and decorative works, of all different styles and media, dating from the mid-eighteenth century to the present.

Today there are over 3,000 works in the collection—many of them displayed in corporate offices, plants and facilities around the world. At the Steelcase Business Center in Grand Rapids today, you’ll find works on the walls by Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Alexander Calder and more. There are also paintings, prints, mixed media pieces and sculptures by a number of local artists, several commissioned for the building and its grounds. Employees, customers and visitors frequently express their appreciation for the art, often tweeting photos of works on display during tours or daily walks.

The Steelcase corporate art collection has left a lasting impression on those in the business world as well. In an article appearing in the January 2015 issue of The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, Ritch Eich, President of Eich Associated, expounded on the power of art in the workplace. He wrote that it stimulates creativity, inspires mental clarity and more, and cited Steelcase as “one of the most effective blends of art, architecture, and business success.”(Eich, Ritch (2015) "Memo to CEO: Five Easy Ways to Invigorate the C-Suite," The Journal of Values-Based Leadership: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 5.)

In early 2014, Reagan Marketing + Design (RM+D) began a multi-phase collaborative project with Steelcase to document the art collection—making it more accessible to all employees at locations worldwide.

An inventory of the collection was completed, with each work photographed and catalogued by art historical criteria such as style/movement, media and artist, and including dimensions, colors, subject matter and more descriptors. This data was added to a newly created, user-friendly online database—providing a practical, intuitive artwork search and request tool for Steelcase designers globally to request works for showroom, corporate office and event display.

The database was designed with a broader intent to build awareness of the art collection for all Steelcase employees. Easy navigation throughout the site, as well as curated virtual galleries that present the collection thematically, offer opportunities for learning and enjoyment of the art that employees pass by daily or might discover is located at another Steelcase site.

Utilizing best arts management practices, RM+D created documentation outlining protocols and responsibilities for the artwork request, loan and transport process. Educating designers, showroom and project managers, and other involved parties about the role they play in caring for the collection properly has helped forge a greater connection to—and appreciation of—the art they see and use.

A future initiative for the Steelcase art collection is to begin building partnerships with local arts and educational institutions to continue bringing the art to life and to a broader public through traveling exhibitions, events and educational seminars. Another goal is to implement a mobile app utilizing geo-referencing capabilities in the database, so that employees and visitors can learn more about the art displayed at the Steelcase Business Center in Grand Rapids—right from their smartphone.

In all of these ways, RM+D’s partnership with Steelcase reconnects to Robert Pew II’s vision for the art collection, resonates with the pulse of the company today, and anticipates future needs through on-going preservation and best practices.