Art is meant to be enjoyed, not stored away. That was the thinking behind Electrolux and Fifth Third Bank’s decision to loan nearly 140 works by Carolinas artists to area nonprofits.
One of the biggest exhibitions will be on public display at CMC-Pineville. One of the most distinctive pieces is Tom Stanley’s “en route to hamlet” near the elevators on the main floor.
The 20-panel work recalls Stanley’s boyhood drives to the Carolina coast.
First Charter Bank commissioned the paintings by Stanley.
“Now it’s become owned, in a sense, by the patients and the staff and a larger group of people,” he said. “(Art) livens the space, makes it more human.”
Hospital President Chris Hummer said the 50 pieces displayed in prominent places at the hospital will help relieve anxiety and make patients feel at home.
“I think primarily what takes place between our caregivers and our patients will ultimately transcend the buildings and the artwork,” he said. “But you can’t discount the physical environment.”
The art collection went on a long journey before it reached the public.
The art came together a decade ago when First Charter Bank, the original owners, contacted Hodges Taylor Gallery to create a collection that reflected the company’s local roots. Owner Christie Taylor worked with the bank to acquire and commission an array of paintings, pottery and ceramics “to celebrate the best and brightest in the North Carolina region.”
Fifth Third acquired First Charter and the collection in 2007. Last summer, Electrolux relocated its North American headquarters to the bank’s old complex in University Research Park. The art came too.
But renovations left room for only 19 pieces. Electrolux and Fifth Third were left to decide whether to store or lend the rest of the collection. The latter won out.
“Both institutions saw the opportunity to be generous,” said Taylor. “It’s not a common practice to have art to loan. And that’s what I think is remarkable about Electrolux and Fifth Third – they see the value in that.”
Bank of America owns thousands of paintings, sculptures and textiles. In 2009 the bank launched the Art in Our Communities program to lend exhibitions at no cost to museums and nonprofits around the world. The bank loaned about 60 pieces of modern art to the Mint Museum Uptown’s opening in October 2010.
Other pieces of the Electrolux/Fifth Third collection are displayed in the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and the Foundation for the Carolinas.