Out with the bland and in with the bold – loan scheme offers quality office sculpture

Jan 13, 2022

Out with the bland and in with the bold – loan scheme offers quality office sculpture

The artworks that organisations put on display can have a powerful influence on customers, clients and staff.

Scotland’s SPG Loan has nearly 200 high quality original sculptural pieces available to make offices, vestibules or outdoor areas feel bolder, brighter and more vibrant. 

And right now is potentially the ideal moment for an artistic refresh by joining a loan scheme that gives access to original work at affordable prices.

Many are by notable artists and have been shown in high-profile exhibitions at major galleries. What’s more they come in all shapes and sizes, to suit different tastes and spaces.

Among the larger works are Catriona Meighan’s enigmatic 1.7m tall camouflaged pound sign (Because It’s Worth It), William Braithwaite’s stainless steel Triangulum Reflexionem (shown in Sheffield Cathedral), Hannah Imlach’s Dune Cradle (that was in Bellhaven Bay as part of the 2017 Floers Festival programme) and Jamie Cooper’s Wish You Were Here, created using a radically altered street lamp.

There are freestanding pieces, ones that hang from ceilings, grace walls, are mounted on plinths or are small enough for a desk or table. 

Kathryn Hanna, who is the Sales and Relationships Manager for the Glasgow-based Sculpture Placement Group (SPG), said: “Artwork can have a tremendously positive impact in the workplace – making a real impact on employees, clients and customers. It can also say a lot about the aspirations and values of the organisation itself.

“Sadly, employers all too often end up resorting to bland, stock image artwork. Our mission is to change that, to put sculpture into more people’s lives by bringing it into their workplaces. 

“SPG Loan makes it possible to have something really special, the sort of things that many might think is unattainable because it normally lives in a gallery.

“We have a huge variety available – from the bright, colourful and joyful to the provocative. It comes from established and emerging artists.”

For some there is the additional appeal that joining the scheme is a good way to use up unspent budget on something that’s tax deductible, makes a positive difference to the business and its stakeholders and also has direct benefits for artists.

Businesses and other organisations are able to go online, browse the online catalogue and then pay for a loan. The fee provides income for the artist, helps with the cost of the project and pays for things like transport and installation.

The catalogue gives details of the work, its background and inspiration, where it was originally shown, what it’s made from, its dimensions and how it should be displayed.

SPG Loan has its roots in an adoption scheme which began in 2017 but has now been radically rebranded and expanded, with new pieces being added to the catalogue each week. 

The scheme was established because the nature of the contemporary art market means that many sculptural works that are commissioned and much admired for shows and exhibitions will then end up in long-term storage.

Kathryn added: “This offers a new, sustainable, and innovative approach to incorporating artworks in workplaces. It’s also a way to put creativity and innovation at the centre of your operations.”

For every 10 sculptures placed in businesses, SPG will loan one artwork to a charity or community – which gives companies the chance to meet their corporate social responsibilities.

Pictures

  • Free-to-use photos attached – please credit Matthew Barnes – higher resolution versions in the DropBox at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/re7tp3sz58947x2/AAD_Hp8QVVQZ03CTmkB05CL1a?dl=0
  • Image 1: Kathryn Hanna, SPG Loans Sales & Relationship Manager with various sculptures (most available to borrow) by Rowan Mace, Amy Kim Grogan, James McLardy, Jolanta Dolewska, David Sherry, Daisy Richardson, Guilia Gentili, Rowan Mace and Amy Kim Grogan.
  • Image 2 and 3: Michelle Emery-Barker co-founder and director of SPG with sculptures by Rowan Mace, Jolanta Dolewska and Guilia Gentili, all available to borrow.
  • Image 3: Rock Seat by Daisy Richardson, available to borrow.

Loan art to check out

  • Flow III by Siobhan K Morison: a 41cm soapstone carving described as an exploration into the Fibonacci sequence and the waves in the sea.
  • Alternative Compression by Dominic Hopkinson: a 50cm tall limestone carving which explores how biological cells fit together
  • Actual Size by Jack Brindley: a 1.8m tall, colourful, free standing piece created using stained glass, wood and lead.
  • Big Wave Vortex by Tom Allan: an elegant freestanding Carrara marble carving
  • Two-Step/Big 4 by Beth Shapeero: a set of four 480cm tall canvases previously show in The Beacon Arts Centre
  • The Unknown by Kenny Hunter: a 1m-tall skeletal figure inspired by Henry Moore’s Study of Bones.

– ENDS –

Notes to editors

About Sculpture Placement Group

  • SPG is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company formed in 2017, to address the practical and economic challenges of working in the arts – particularly with sculpture, to diversify audiences to contemporary sculpture and to find ways for the arts to work more sustainably.
  • SPG Loan is one of SPG’s flagship projects. 
  • Current adopters include City of Glasgow College; Glasgow University; The Centre, Cumbernauld; Glasgow City Chambers; Page/Park Architects; Dumfries & Galloway College; Tramway & the Hidden Gardens; Bannockburn House; Grantown Society, the Highlands.

About Creative Scotland

  • Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.

To find out more

For media information contact Kate V Robertson at [email protected] or Matthew Shelley at [email protected] or 07786704299.