ART FOR WORK: CORPORATE ART PROGRAMS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

This study is about corporate art programs for the 21st century. Years after the global financial crisis in 2008, the corporate collecting practice is developing not necessarily in quantity but in quality as well. Corporations are trying to do more with existing collections, through exhibitions, education programs, and setting up the institutional structure to ensure the original commitment to creating an art program. By investigating the history and key issues in the field, and analyzing a select group of corporate art programs, the paper summarizes the patterns and features of successful corporate art programs and categorized three strategies of those companies building and developing the collections to achieve their objectives. Using the summarized patterns, features, and strategies, the paper also includes the analysis of two significant corporate programs in China to provide a new perspective of corporate art practice in the emerging art market. The study is to offer the insight into the corporate art programs in the 21st century and provide necessary guidance for future academic research and real-life practice.