Art Appreciation

When it comes to purchasing original pieces of art, price tags often dishearten the average buyer, or limit the purchases one can make. The Artists Archive of the Western Reserve in University Circle wants to help area companies lessen the burden of paying for art to decorate their hallways and lobbies. The archive removes the price tags from the work and lends some of the region’s greatest works of art to Northeast Ohio organizations.

This year, the archive began offering corporate memberships for $2,500 annually, a cost easily matched by one piece of art. The membership gives businesses access to a vast storage facility that houses 1,000 pieces of art by nearly 40 Cleveland artists who have lent their work to the archive for preservation. Works range from paintings and drawings to sculptures and ceramics.

Corporate members also enjoy invitations to special gallery exhibits and shows and access to gallery space for corporate events.

The archive custom tailors artwork for its members. John Klassen, director of the archive, went to member World Trade Center Cleveland to get an idea of what pieces would fit best, then selected pieces he thought would reflect and complement the space, and returned to the World Trade Center and hung them himself. So his corporate members don’t tire of seeing the same pieces, Klassen hangs new art for them every six months. For more information on the archive, visit www.artistsarchives.org.