art connection case studies

Case Studies

Telephone: 720.936.4830 Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 303.718.7657 Email: [email protected] www.ConnectWithArt.net

2 0 1 6

Art Team Building & Ideation Case Studies

More businesses are realizing the importance of helping their employees connect &

tap into their creative potential

Case Studies



Our Clients

We support organizations in their efforts to: inspire ideas and creativity, fund-‐raise and connect to

one another…

Companies: Non-‐Profits/Associations:

• Art Hotel

• Agilent

• athenahealth

• Brown & Tedstrom

• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck

• Camp Experience

• CBRE Property Management

• Closet Factory

• DaVita

• Echo Star

• Embassy Suites

• First Western Trust

• Hellerstein & Brennan

• Jeppeson

• KPMG

• Newmont Mining

• Red Peaks Property Management

• Summit Materials

• T Mobile

• ViaWest

• Westmeath/The Thread Summit

• Wet Paint

• WhiteWave

And more…

• ARK (Art Reaching Kids)

• Adoption Exchange

• Camp Discovery -‐ Redefining Able

• Craig Hospital

• Dress for Success

• Dell Children’s Medical Center

• Inner City Health

• IECRM

• Inside Out – Community Re-‐entry

• Mountain States Employer Council

• Meeting Planners International

• PlatteForum

• Sense of Security

• Star Foundation

• Wellspring Community

• YPO (Young Presidents Organization)

Case Studies



athenahealth

Situation: athenahealth wanted to do something special and meaningful for Dell Children’s Medical Center, a client of theirs.

Concept: Orchestrate a powerful day of corporate creative giving with 275 athenahealth employees at Dell Children’s medial Center in Austin, Texas. This industrious group managed to complete 15 creative installations designed to bring joy to recovering young patients and their siblings. In just 5 hours a mural brightened up the sad patient transport hallway, and creativity kits brought smiles to the patient’s faces. And in the healing garden, a giant red dog and flock of sheep sprung up along with musical instruments, giant butterflies and seaworthy sail boats, to name a few.

Results:

“Most powerful retreat in all my years at this company”, Rod L.

“This is just wonderful. What an amazing, delightful addition to the Healing Garden. And inside, our sad patient transport hallways now have a bright and cheerful mural”, Gail G., Dell Children’s Medical Center Volunteer Coordinator

Note: Employees were so enthusiastic and proud of what they accomplished, they were tweeting well into the following week about their experience. Giving feels good, CREATIVE giving feels even better!

Case Studies



First Western Trust

Situation: First Western had spent an entire year on a major re-‐branding effort, which involved a new logo, positioning, and website. The CEO and marketing director wanted its 100 employees to celebrate and really experience the core elements that comprised the brand.

Concept: Before the company brand rollout, employees were asked to bring items that represented First Western to them (pictures, mementos, items). Following the branding presentation, employees were divided into 9 groups at 9 stations. Each station represented a core brand differentiator that the group needed to communicate through a collaborative 3-‐D concept board. Brand themes included: Growth, risk-‐aware, innovative, local, entrepreneurial, customer-‐centric, connected, realizing dreams & goals.

Results:

“The Art Connection created an art experience that truly reflected our company's personality. People absolutely loved the event and the art project. It was a great opportunity for our associates to express their opinions about what FW means to them. The art pieces the teams created were so amazing we hung them up in our offices!” Rebecca M., Marketing Director

Note: Employees at First Western feel this was the best team experience they have ever had at the company to date.

Case Studies



Summit Materials

Situation: Summit Materials, a company that provides essential building materials to the building industry, was hosting a leadership meeting with 85 employees at The Art hotel. Given the venue, Summit wanted a teambuilding experience that was more creative, yet true to their brand and industry.

Concept: Drawing from the company’s vision, mission, impact on infrastructure, safety and sustainability efforts, several creative themes emerged, including Bound Strong, Endless Possibilities, Grassroots, Sustainability and Safety and Building Blocks of Summit. Teams of ten needed to create sculptures and 3-‐D art, but one rule: the teams had to incorporate the company’s materials into their 3-‐D creations. Then the power tools and paint came out and before the evening was over, 3 sculptures stood and 4 dramatic paintings emerged.

Results:

“We are so proud of all our artwork and have displayed them with pride in our hallways. We hope to work with you again in the future.” Angela D., General Office Manager, Summit Materials

Note: The amazing art has been installed and graces the hallways of Summit Material’s beautiful downtown offices on Wynkoop.

Case Studies



Newmont Mining

Situation: Newmont Mining is one of the largest gold-‐mining companies in the world with 40,000 employees and a significant global footprint. They have a strong, value-‐based culture that emphasizes safety (Zero Harm) and environmental stewardship. It is Important that each region embraces and owns Zero Harm to ensure the highest level of safety and related processes. To that end, Newmont wanted to create a campaign that would resonate across the many cultures that work in its mining operations.

Concept: A diverse group of creative professionals (artists, song-‐writers, branding experts and strategists) joined two senior Newmont executives for a daylong immersive experience to tap into their creative minds and problem-‐solve. Teams spent time human white-‐boarding, song writing and painting/collage to elicit thoughts and concepts around “safety” and the many implications of being “safe”. Lunch was also an inspiring experience, featuring “chemical” gastronomic creations. The day culminated in breakouts where the group produced and distilled a range of campaign ideas that were later fleshed out. The winning campaign, “What Matters” has become the global rallying cry for the company, supported by a completely integrated, sustainable campaign, including billboards, commercials, website, video and print.

Results:

“We are an almost 10 billion company and doing this to come up with a safety campaign around Zero Harm. It is really interesting to work with different people from different walks of life using creativity in the process. How cool is this. Really had a good time and came up with something that will work across the globe.” Phil S., Vice President, Safety Task Force

Case Studies



Agilent Technologies

Situation: Founded in 1939, Agilent Technologies is the world's premier measurement company where the average tenure is 20 years. When precision is important, engineers, scientists, manufacturers, businesses, researchers, and government agencies rely on Agilent tools and solutions to truly help make our world more productive and a safer, healthier, place to live. Not surprisingly, given GMO, genetic and environmental concerns, Agilent’s business continues to grow rapidly. Agilent leadership wanted to build on that momentum by encouraging new, innovative ideas and thinking.

Twelve executives from the Agilent Service Business Team met for a strategic planning session focused on driving innovation and creative solutions in the near future. To set the tone for the meetings and expectations, the team was deliberately taken out of their comfort zones with an unorthodox, backdoor conduit to creative thinking and the joy of just having fun!

Concept: Innovation past and future in the many “worlds” of Agilent—all the ecosystems the company touches to make a ‘better world’. Paints, trade magazines, photos, 3-‐D materials were used to communicate the Agilent World Vision. The team was also asked to bring and talk about select items that symbolize how Agilent affects the planet and their personal experiences.

Results:

“Thank you Renata and Birgit for a fun art experience expressing our vision for the company on canvas. I received wonderful feedback from the team and the resulting artwork will be a long-‐term reminder of what we envision as a team. And not to forgot to mention your attention to detail. Thank you! Michael L., General Manager New Business Ventures Services and Support Division

Case Studies



Brown & Tedstrom

Situation: Brown & Tedstrom, a major wealth management firm in Denver, wanted to encourage investment confidence and do something special and creative for their female investors and clients.

Concept: What better place to inspire creativity than in a gallery? Female clients were invited to the innovative William Havu Gallery for an opportunity to create individual masterpieces. Each client was asked to bring something special-‐-‐ a memento, photo or anything that had meaning for them. These items served to ignite unique and wonderful art: a collage celebrating a long time friendship, intertwining beaded hearts for a valentine’s love, a field of 3-‐D poppies (part of a woman’s overall company brand), a bird perched on a wire and a gorgeous botanical, to name a few. Big smiles emerged on everyone’s faces stemming from a renewed creative confidence and joy.

Results:

"By far the best client experience ever!" Peter T., Founding Partner, Brown & Tedstrom

Case Studies

Telephone: 720.936.4830 Email: [email protected] Telephone: 303.718.7657 Email: [email protected] www.ConnectWithArt.net

Westmeath, Inc./The Thread Summit

Situation: Westmeath, Inc. launched a conference, The Thread Summit, with the goal of establishing Colorado as a center of excellence for the latest in marketing and communications thinking. The Thread Summit, based on the Chinese Red Thread proverb purporting that everyone is connected by “an invisible red thread”, was a unique gathering designed for marketing and communications leaders situated in the region. This day-‐and-‐a-‐half summit featured nine distinct modules led by some of our profession’s most respected leaders, including Aaron Kennedy (CMO Colorado/founder Noodles & Co.), Sean Amos, Freshwire, Mayor Hickenlooper and Ben Edwards of IBM. The Thread was designed to share ideas, exchange knowledge and build relationships—without having to fly to New York or San Francisco.

Concept: It was critical for this inaugural event that the Summit environment and touch points reinforce and enhance the Thread Summit brand. From the minute participants walked off the elevator, they were immersed in an environment that spoke to the theme of being connected by the red thread, including: welcome ‘conversation thread’, window/floor decals, creative, impactful art installations at registration and reception, in the main ballroom, VIP room and even restrooms! An art experience for attendees, which also spoke to the theme, was unveiled during the reception. Everyone contributed to the masterpiece that was later auctioned off to benefit the Wellspring Community, a non-‐profit that provides young, mentally challenged adults with an opportunity to produce delicious sweets and dog treats in a supportive space.

Results:

"We would like to give special recognition to The Art Connection for creating such an engaging and inspirational environment. Renata Dolz and Birgit Whitelaw were the creative geniuses behind the spools, the colorful, abstract artwork for our silent auction, and, of course the needles. We thank them for creatively bringing our theme to life." Anne M., The Thread Summit

Case Studies


Camp Discovery

Situation: -‐-‐16 years ago, Trish Downing, an aspiring Olympic cyclist and now a paraplegic iron-‐distance triathlete, sustained a spinal injury that left her paralyzed her from the waist down. Bound to a wheelchair for the remainder of her life, she quickly noticed that there was not an established support system or programs designed to empower women like her. This glaring need inspired Trish and a group of dedicated volunteers to launch Camp Discovery – a program designed to help other women, affected by injury or disease, to reinvent themselves and find joy in following a new path. Camp Discovery is your opportunity to spend a weekend developing one’s mind, body and spirit connection, so that they can Redefine Able. This year’s camp included self-‐expression through art.

Concept: The Art Connection teachers worked hands-‐on with 30 camp participants to help them create individual masterpieces expressing concepts important to them. Some inspiring examples: A celebration of a daughters relationship with her mother, a seascape symbolic of a sisters recently deceased brother, a tribute to a boyfriend’s personal support and love of the armed forces and outdoors, a personal exultation themed “you rock”, a composite representing different family generations, three overlapping rings depicting important people: mother, self and grand mother.

Results:

“I did not know what to expect, but this was such a great experience—it should be offered every year.”-‐ Michelle, participant “You did such an amazing job bringing out what was in people’s hearts. You are incredible women, Thank you.” -‐ Sarah, participant “I am so glad that we included this art experience this year. Everyone produced such different and inspiring masterpieces.” Trish D, Founder, Camp Director http://www.trishdowning.com/news-‐articles/nike-‐signs-‐downing-‐for-‐3-‐year-‐commitment

Case Studies


Communication Strategy Group - CSG

Situation: CSG, one of the premier national public relations firms, recently moved into beautiful offices in Cherry Creek. Everything was nicely appointed, including a well-‐equipped kitchen and dining area. The only thing missing was art—the many hallways and conference rooms were bare and needed art.

Concept: Rather than buy expensive, impersonal art, Steven Shapiro, founder, liked the idea of hosting an amazing team-‐building experience where the employees would create their own art for their space. And, not just any art -‐-‐-‐ this art was meaningful and represented the company’s DNA, culture, and core values. What emerged was truly impressive, colorful art that will serve to inspire for years to come.

Results:

“Thank you for such a wonderful experience with an amazing outcome. It was truly everything I had hoped for and the team agreed. We’ll have to do more stuff like this in the future and we’ll have to recommend something extraordinary for our clients to do. Thank you so much! Steven S., Founder-‐Communications Strategy Group (CSG)

Case Studies


what we do. . . Using 'art' and other creative methods, we fortify teams and get ideas to surface. We design customized, pressure-‐free experiences to help accomplish your specific goals. The Art Connection process typically spans about 2-‐3 hours and often combines up-‐front brainstorming and alignment, followed by the creation of collaborative masterpieces For example, imagine a group of employees developing a large canvas that visually embodies your company's culture, core values and priorities. And then, imagine that work of art hanging in your lobby or office as a reminder and statement of what you stand for and believe in. When an Art Connection experience is connected to leadership or team development, the training and experience takes a day.

contact us when you want to. . . … reward and bond a group of employees by giving them the gift of creation … identify, share or embrace a company's vision or business direction … stimulate some “out of the box” branding or campaign concepts … boost employee morale that has been affected by a significant event … have a great team-‐building exercise at your next corporate retreat … show your clients how much you appreciate them.

logist ics. . . Our first step is to meet with you to thoroughly discuss your needs and get an understanding of your organization's culture and personality. From there, we customize an experience to address your objectives. The experiences can be on premise, a boardroom, cafeteria, training room, warehouse or a studio. We bring all supplies. Rates vary depending on format -‐ non-‐profit discounts.

who we are. . . Dynamic, high-‐energy women and artists. One European, one American – both with strong business backgrounds and a passion for using ‘art’ to foster creative thinking and breakthrough innovation. And, because we appreciate the inspirational and healing effects of art, we dedicate significant personal time and skills to nonprofits.

why connect with art . . . The Harvard Medical School reports that the serotonin produced during creative exploration supercharges learning and connects us to others. Art shifts one's relationship to the problem, enabling one to approach it from a fresh, back-‐door perspective.

“"This was so fun! I really enjoyed getting to work with my teammates that I don't normally get to work with and being able to unleash creative energy to create a beautiful work of art together." DaVita Teammate

art connection case studies

Documents