World Art Day: making a difference at the office one tapestry at a time

With Saturday 15th April marking World Art Day – a UNESCO led initiative to celebrate the impact art has on creative, innovative and cultural diversity – global workplace creation expert, Unispace, has highlighted why businesses can leverage art in the workplace to both inspire staff and help address climate change.



Data shows that artistic flair at the office can have a positive influence on employees. A study from the Business Committee for the Arts and the International Association for Professional Art Advisors, revealed that 78% of office workers felt that art reduces stress at work. A further 64% agreed that it also increases creativity.



Unispace partners with Casa Congo - a sustainability hub in El Astillero, Nicaragua, where local communities and international experts come together to create projects that address challenges in climate change, social inequality and economic development. Collaborating with a local women collective known as Las Tejedoras - or The Weavers - Unispace have designed over 30 bespoke tapestries that are produced thanks to the upcycled plastic weaving skills of the local community to create sustainable artwork for offices across the globe.



One tapestry alone is stitched together using more than 2,500 plastic bags, collected from the local beaches and waters, villages and tips of Nicaragua.



Nicholas Kaspareck, Senior Principal, Global Accounts, at Unispace and Co-Founder of Casa Congo, commented:



“Art plays a fundamental role in the emotional health of workers and the atmosphere of the work environment. While the right designs can influence personal moods in the workplace, inspire creativity and reduce stress, artwork that also makes a difference can have a more powerful impact on people. Art can be integrated into interior architecture and become a portal for impact, manifesting a brand’s purpose and connecting the users to a cause.



“The work of Unispace, Casa Congo and Las Tejedoras is helping to reduce plastic waste that is plaguing the environment and turning bags into works of art that can hang in workplaces of global corporations. Thanks to this collaboration, Las Tejedoras are securing long term financial sustainability and people all over the world are being inspired by the work and are supporting the initiative where they can. As part of a recent event hosted by Great Place to Work in Madrid, over 500 plastic bags were brought to the annual Awards ceremony by organisers and attendees. These bags are avoiding the landfills of Spain, and will instead be woven together into a bespoke tapestry by Las Tejedoras in Nicaragua, providing further employment for the local communities.



“As the world celebrates art, I invite business leaders to consider investing in art for impact to make a difference not just in the office, but also in the environment and in society.”



Ends

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Vickie Collinge



vickie@bluesky-pr.com



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