Best of 2019: Whew! What a Year!

The holiday season is one of gratitude and reflection and this year is no exception. The "Best of Blog" is always my favorite to sit down and write. Every year, it's a time for me to pause and review all the hard work my team and I accomplished and celebrate a job well done!

From our recent reveal of the big move, outstanding client projects, another milestone year for ACA, to the success of our Blink Art Resource Artists, we're thrilled to give you the top highlights from 2019. And as always we would never be able to accomplish any of what we do without the amazing staff at ADC and without the support and encouragement from our clients, artists, friends, and family!

The Big Move

Out of everything we accomplished this year, of course the reigning highlight of 2019 is ADC's expansion announcement! If you haven't heard the news, we're not only moving our downtown headquarters to an even larger gallery space (13,000 sq. ft. to be exact), but we're expanding our presence in Cincinnati by opening a retail gallery in O'Bryonville, which we've dubbed ADC East. Some say 10,000 sq. ft. is plenty for an art consultant agency and gallery, but not us! We'll be close to doubling in size in the new year and we can't wait!

And we're not the only ones excited about this expansion as Cincinnati has never seen anything like this! The Cincinnati Business Courier and Soapbox Cincinnati couldn't wait to shout out about our Queen City receiving its first mega art gallery.

10 Years of Celebrating Artists

Art Comes Alive, our annual art competition and exhibition, started as a small passion project of mine where I wanted to recognize and celebrate artists for their hard work and dedication to their craft. I can still remember the very first year we celebrated the local artists who submitted to the competition. To call out the award winners I had to stand on a box, so I could be heard over the packed gallery of art admirers and artists. Flash forward ten years to me standing on a stage in an auditorium filled with art lovers, art collectors and artists. Wow!

Sometimes it’s difficult to put into words everything that Art Comes Alive (ACA) is for our gallery and our artists. The evening is truly a special and unique moment where we can celebrate the artistic talents of so many artists on a magnified scale (and no, I’m not just talking about the 20-foot screen we had this year at the awards ceremony ;P).

We celebrated a record year in 2019 with $445,000 and 101 awards to artists. Before opening night, we sold 85 works of art to our corporate and private Purchase Award Partners totaling just over $165,000 (with sales continuing to pour in)!

Simply put, there is no other art competition and exhibit out there that celebrates as many artists with such diverse talents and medium specialties as ACA.

The final numbers are in and throughout the last 10 years we have:

• Supported 1540 artists
• Sold 407 pieces of art
• Given away over $1.9 million in awards

Client Projects

We love helping clients select the perfect artwork for their home or office. 

Artwork for Corporate Spaces

Johnson Investment Counsel

After expanding their main office location in Kenwood and remodeling their West Fork office Johnson Investment Counsel wanted the artwork in their new spaces to make the same powerful statement as the original.

VonLehman - Indianapolis 

We’ve had the absolute pleasure of working previously with VonLehman CPA and Advisory Firm, one of the largest private CPA and advisory firms in the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana region, so when the opportunity came up again recently, we jumped at the chance to work at the Indianapolis location.

Cincinnati Insurance Companies

As a company that believes in strong relationships within the communities where their employees live, work and play, The Cincinnati Insurance Companies have always supported the arts. They were our very first client over 27 years ago! We’ve done everything for them from framing documents and diplomas to selecting artwork throughout the years. Who can say that? This really shows their value and commitment to relationships. 

Artwork for the Home

Contemporary Art Adds the Unexpected in a French Country Home

After their daughters were out of the house and off to college, this empty-nester duo recently downsized from a very traditional Shaker-style home to a modernized French country chateau. Their previous home was filled with antiques suited to match the traditional elements, but for their new space a blank slate was a way to start fresh.

“When our home was completed, we didn’t feel like anything was missing. But after an event at Art Design Consultants’ beautiful gallery, we realized that we couldn’t live without contemporary art.” – Wife

Fusion of Fine Art and Contemporary Design

Most people think art consultants come in at the very end of a design project to select and source artwork, but the true magic happens when we’re the first ones on the scene. In this case, we began working with Adam and Abby two years before they completed construction on their contemporary home.

A larger home meant more walls and an opportunity to grow their art collection. They knew they wanted to add to their collection in a meaningful way, that’s why they turned to ADC for help sourcing original artwork. 

Contemporary Condo Gets Some Color

Many suburbanites are swapping their keys for sweeping views of the city and want a complete décor overhaul to match their adjusted lifestyle. With their last child out of the house and off to college, this is exactly what Dan and Lisa decided to do!

Blink Art Resource 2019

There's something to be said when a printed resource book is thriving in a digital age. Now in its fifth year, Blink Art Resource is a coveted resource for professional art buyers across the United States. This year with the distribution of Blink Art Resource reaching 10,000+ trade professionals we placed 160 talented artists at their fingertips and helped artists gain exposure and land commissions they never even dreamed of!

We have exciting things planned for Blink Art Resource in 2020 including a physical extension of the catalog as a conceptional art space called Blink Scape. This 20-foot square white cube within our downtown location will be dedicated to inspiring conceptual art installations. Visitors of all ages will be able to experience full-immersion light shows, videos, music, and theater!

1-on-1 Career Coaching Sessions

We all know that it takes more than talent to make it in the competitive and ever-changing art world. It takes grit, hard work, a positive attitude, and business savvy—not to mention the wisdom and expertise of industry experts. This is why I wrote Secrets of the Art World: Getting Real About the Process, Business, and Selling of Your Work in the first place.

But I still wanted to share more, so my team and I developed a career coaching series with 1-on-1 30 minute phone conversations with artists. It was a success! Between the spring and fall sessions, I was able to talk with 64 different artists. During these sessions we discuss ways for them to overcome the challenges they face in the art world.  

Let's Talk Art Series

Since there is never a dull moment here at the gallery we wanted to enliven our clients' happy hours and fill them with color and inspiration. We created an art collector series to engage everyone at any time in their art buying journey.

Cheers to a Brand New Year!

As I look back through the amazing memories 2019 has given me and my company, I'm truly humbled by the love of our friends and family, and by the support of our clients and artists.

And it makes us more excited about everything we have planned for 2020! Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous New Year!