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Visitors flock to art exhibition at Baskerville House
8th April 2008

Baskerville House, which was transformed into one of Birmingham's most prestigious office addresses by developer Targetfollow, could become the city's latest cultural hotspot following the success of its first ever art exhibition.

The 'Visual' exhibition, a showcase of work by Midland artists organised by Arts & Business and supported by a new website, attracted more than 1,500 visitors when it opened on the ground floor of the historic office building for two weeks in March.

Artists featured at the exhibition include Stuart Whipps, winner of the prestigious Observer Hodge Photographic Prize for his documentation of the redundant Rover works at Longbridge and painter Stephen Earl Rogers, who has been selected to exhibit at the BP Portrait Awards at the National Gallery in six of the last seven years.

The 'Visual' concept was introduced to the West Midlands business community by Arts & Business in 2004, and has grown into an exciting full-service contemporary visual arts programme.

Sarah Cannell, arts development manager at Targetfollow, said: "As a company we have heavily supported the arts for many years and our arts department does arrange for local artists to be displayed at the majority of our buildings where possible so this isn't a completely new initiative for us.

"The common areas of office buildings can tend to be fairly dull where as ours with original artwork on the walls does draw some interest to the building, both from tenants and potential tenants alike as well as in the case of the successful exhibition at Baskerville House, members of the public."

Businesses that have already worked with 'Visual' include Ernst & Young, Aston Business School, BBC Birmingham, Catalyst Corporate Finance and Anglo Irish Investment Bank. Some have commissioned artworks or purchased art collections to enhance their business environments while others have opted for temporary in-house exhibitions and rentals involving their employees and the wider community.

A temporary exhibition will be available to all website users and the entire art collection will be available for member businesses through a secure log-in section, allowing all company employees to view art work from the complete portfolio of 'Visual' artists.

Gavin Buckley, Regional Director for Arts and Business, said: "The way 'Visual' offers businesses the opportunity to benefit from contemporary art is both visionary and unique. Not only does art in the workplace benefit staff, clients and stakeholders, but also develops the artists involved."