I curate the art in our space (http://camaraderie.ca/community/art if anyone wants to see), and I absolutely agree that having art on the walls help to make the space more inviting (our space is stark white and black with very few splashes of colour otherwise), and specifically changing the art on the walls occasionally helps to keep the space fluid. We allow the artists to display their art, which we encourage all different textiles and materials and shapes and colour, as well as offer them an exhibit opening party, tags on the walls with a price (optional) and their contact info,
And I love the idea of something like an artist in residence, one that happens organically. Thanks for this post. It reminded me that I should start looking for another artist to display their work. Sean, you do beautiful work, and the folks at Indy Hall are lucky to have you with them. Were you already looking for atypical studio space to work from and then found Indy Hall? And if so, what was the criteria you had in mind for a space to work? r. *____________________ rachel young *rac...@camaraderie.ca *Find us in person:* Camaraderie 102 Adelaide St E 2nd Floor Toronto, ON M5C 1K9 (647) 861-4350 On 19 January 2012 16:12, Alex Hillman <dangerouslyawes...@gmail.com> wrote: > A number of people have asked me about our "interior design" at Indy Hall. > We've always tried to avoid the "stale white walls" approach by including > textures like brick and exposed rafters/ventilation, but it's really been > in the last 2 years that Sean Martorana has stepped up our game past > inspirational posters thumbtacked to the walls. > > Sean's brother is one of our earliest community members, and so we knew > Sean as part of the Indy Hall family. When he started bringing his art into > our space, the reaction was clearly one that we wanted to continue. Sean > has since taken on a somewhat informal role as our "art director", both > curating art into the space as well as taking the lead on other > design-related projects around Indy Hall. > > "This was the beginning of bringing the philosophy of art and interior >> design to any space having a direct positive effect on the people that >> occupy it. It can inspire people and make them happier and more productive >> daily." - Sean > > > It's been a mutually beneficial process. Sean's work has brought a feel to > the space that we couldn't have achieved alone, and it's not static either > - it's ever changing and exciting to members. They consider him an art > resource. They also consider his work a form of inspiration, not only > having it around, but being around WHILE he's making the art. Non-artists > being around artists creating work is a highly inspirational experience, > and Sean has remarked that he gains a lot of inspiration from our members > as well. > > I can also point to the fact that Sean's skills in promoting his work and > building business connections has visibly improved. That's not to say he > wasn't good - he was. But he's gotten even better, and it's very cool to > watch an artist learn some of these skills from non-artists. Just one more > example of the "uncommon" kinds of exchanges that happen at coworking > spaces. > > Sean's take on the project, including some before/after photos, are here: > > http://seanmartorana.com/2012/indyhall-murals-and-interior-designcuration/ > > It's also great to see his work in this photo that was included in that > Philly Mag article in November. This was in the printed version as a > centerfold, but not the web version, so I'm really happy to have gotten my > hands on a license that I'm granted permission to repost. > > http://dl.dropbox.com/u/628073/large-indyhallbg.jpg > > One of the comments we get a lot, related to Sean's work, is how "lived > in" the space feels now. I'm pretty confident that comes partially from > Sean's skills as an artist, but more importantly, his attention to making > sure his art was expressive of the community. That's a much rarer skill, > and one I feel extremely lucky to have in-house. > > I've copied Sean on this email in case anyone has questions for him as an > artist working at a coworking space, or otherwise. > > Also, he's for hire - just don't steal him away, please ;) > > -Alex > > > /ah > indyhall.org > coworking in philadelphia > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To post to this group, send email to coworking@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to coworking+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/coworking?hl=en.