Art at work

By Zenaida Serrano
Advertiser Staff Writer

Melissa Chang's employer, Coldwell Banker, has invested in art to liven up its offices. Deborah Booke • The Honolulu Advertiser

This mini-house is among Coldwell Banker's creations by student artists. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Vice president Pat Giles, left, and saleswoman Vicki Hosselman chat next to "Art Houses," Coldwell Banker's office brighteners. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Local art consultants Cedar Street Galleries: 589-1580 The Fine Art Associates: 591-2489

To her left, the tops of ordinary filing cabinets have been transformed into a display area for whimsical student artworks, including a miniature wooden house painted a calming tan and embellished with baby-blue swirls and white plumerias.

A short walk from Toyooka's desk is the lobby; a reception area turned art gallery with more elaborate pieces, including Russell Lowrey's "Kamani Tree and Shade" painting, complete with accent lighting.

"Being in a nice environment that has these added things, it's not just an office, it's a home," said Toyooka, an area office-support manager at the King Street facility of Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties.

Coldwell Banker is among several Hawai'i businesses incorporating art in the workplace to foster creativity, productivity and a welcoming environment for employees.

"We wanted all the artwork ... to get you to be creative, to be thinking and to make the office a fun place to come to because of the feel it creates," said Herb Conley, managing director at Coldwell Banker. ... "I think anytime you surround yourself with beauty and creativity, the result has to be good."

The design of the company's new King Street office was completed last summer.

"Once we got that design together, then the idea was, 'How do you decorate the office so that you make it as wonderful an environment as you can for those who work there?' " Conley said.

Conley and his colleagues chose artwork that was "truly Hawaiian," from images of traditional landscapes to contemporary sculptures, and Island artists ranging from students to masters, he said.

There are more than four dozen pieces, including paintings by Tadashi Sato and Brenda Cablayan, sculptures by John Koga and Jason Minami, photos by Chitra Stuiva, and decorated miniature homes by art students from Chaminade University and the University of Hawai'i.

Artist Katherine Love created the piece titled "Concierge Service" and Chaminade student Isla Schmidt painted one of several three-dimensional art houses displayed throughout the office.

"This is an employer who really takes an interest in it and has a passion about it," Toyooka said. "He'll explain to you who's the artist, what's their background, the names of the art ... and it just makes the workplace more than just a place to come to work."

As the consultant for the art acquisition program for Coldwell Banker 's King Street office, architect and interior designer Nancy Peacock coordinated the selection of artists' works acquired and commissioned, and the placement of art within the offices.

Art consultant Mike Schnack, owner of Cedar Street Galleries in Honolulu, specializes in placing works of Island artists in both residential and corporate settings. (See box).

Since the gallery opened five years ago, Schnack said, he has worked with hundreds of corporate clients interested in creating pleasing workplaces.

"If people are comfortable and relaxed in their environment, it fosters communication," he said.

At the downtown law firm Ashford & Wriston, partner Galen Leong has filled the 15,000-square-foot office space with nearly 50 pieces, mostly acrylics hanging in the reception area, conference room and hallways.

Leong shied away from the traditional Island landscape paintings and chose a solely contemporary path.

"Because most of the works are either abstract or semi-abstract, they don't become stale, and it makes the working environment more vital," Leong said.

The pieces are by local, national and international artists, including Hawai'i's Timothy P. Ojile and Doug Young, Claes Oldenburg and Anish Kapoor.

The collection has enhanced the surroundings at Ashford & Wriston and boosted employee morale, Leong said.

"We have things that are of recognized value and interest," Leong said. The employees "take a certain amount of pride in what we have."

Meanwhile, at Coldwell Banker, real estate agent Kai McDurmin said beautiful and thought-provoking art pieces not only benefit the employees.

"I think clients feel the same way," McDurmin said. "They come to an office, and they feel that everything's going to be 'corporate,' so it's really nice for them to come in and see something interesting, see something on a more creative level."

Peacock, the consultant for the art acquisition program for Coldwell Banker 's King Street office, can be reached at 947-0047.

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.

Correction: Two photos of artwork displayed at Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties were taken by Advertiser photographer Eugene Tanner. A photo credit was incorrect. Also, information about those involved in the art acquisition program for Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties' King Street office was omitted.