Kind of at a loss of what to do going forward but I cannot for the life of me manage to get this set of artwork approved. It has been rejected multiple times by the community and twice on appeal, even though it fits criteria and is in the exact same Starbucks as an already-approved piece of artwork.
The most recent denied appeal claimed it isn’t permanent, even though it has been here for nearly 15 years and is fastened to metal spikes bored into the wall. It literally can’t come off. Please let me know if I’m missing something, as the appeal linked the library of wayspot criteria and this seems to fit perfectly with the “art” section.
Title: Community Coffeehouse Canvas Art
Description: A custom-sketched, prominently displayed set of canvas drawings showcasing close-up renderings of a coffee tree and its cherries
Supplemental Info: This permanent, publicly accessible art installation is a fantastic candidate for a Wayspot. While it is located inside of a generic business, the art in question was made specifically for this business when it opened 15 years ago and had remained a focal point of the cafe ever since. Located next to the coffee bar in a high traffic area, this art catches the eye of hundreds of customers every day. One piece of art inside the business has already been accepted so it would be fantastic to have a second Wayspot highlighting the unique art in this business. Please use the accompanying pictures to verify the intricacy and uniqueness of the art in question, as well as the general location near the back of the store as referenced by the photo of the cafe and front doors/windows. Thank you for your time!
Appeal Notes
This artwork has been inside the Royal Oak starbucks since it opened in 2012. All three pieces of art are mounted to the wall with metal supports, not merely hanging on hooks, highlighting their permanence. Additionally, whenever new Starbucks locations are built, the artwork used inside is sourced from local artists through Starbucks’ Local Art Program. Rather than mass producing art, new stores are decorated with original pieces of art from the local community. These pieces of art were commissioned from community artists nearly 15 years ago and are thus an important piece of art history to stand for many years to come
What evidence (if any) did you give that these are commissioned works of art for this business? Did you share a link to the Local Art Program? (My eyes aren’t great for reading the white on black, so asking if I just overlooked it.) If you share the location, we can see what exists there. If you share the photo you used as the main, we can see if we get hits on it being used anywhere else.
I don’t share a link to the Local Art Program for the main post as the other piece of art was quickly accepted with no fuss. When appealing I thought mentioning it would be enough without including a link as it can be very easily searched, and any quick search explains that every Starbucks commissions artwork, never mass produces. The location is the Royal Oak Starbucks at 8750 Country Hills Boulevard NW in Calgary, Alberta.
I’ll attach the photo I used as the main as well, but it seems like from the appeal that the issue in question isn’t the art itself but the permanence. Perhaps I need to include a picture of the metal supports holding it to the wall? I would’ve included an artists signature but my District Manager who opened the store years ago said he remembers seeing the signature on the inside of the canvas, so I can’t reach it for evidence
When nomination got multiple rejection from community and /or appeal, you should improve your nomination by providing more evidence. Each nomination might be reviewed by different set of people, you might got lucky earlier because personally i wont accept such nomination without more supporting evidence. If you do some review, you might see some people try to nominate hanging foto as wayspot.
While I do get that, and will take it to heart, my confusion now is with the appeal being denied due to “temporary paintings” when the appeal notes specified their age, permanence to the building, and relation to another piece of art in the building. I will include more info next time but I don’t see how the appeal ruling is fair
I asked for the photo so I could see if it is corporate art they have hung other places. That can be rejected for the “distinct” part of “temporary or not distinct”. I did get a hit on another Starbucks with a couple of these pieces.
I have trouble using instagram (I’m old) but I don’t see these pieces in that link you gave.
The appeal reviewer did clearly state they were rejecting for the “temporary” aspect of the hanging art, though, not it not being distinct. I rarely accept or approve hanging art like this that can be moved easily. If I do submit it, I include a wall plaque showing it is permanent and significant, or a link to something that proves it was created for this location.
I was hoping that having the address would help me pull up something that identifies these as unique to this location, but I can’t find anything.
This does help, thank you. I’m just bummed at burning two appeals on something that feels like it should be easier to get accepted. The age of the store makes it nearly impossible to track down the original info for the artist but the other art you found being 15 years newer does suggest that the art in this store is the original that others have been copied from. I have resubmitted with additional info about the permanence of the works and a link to the instagram, and if it fails again I’ll include photos of the metal studs anchoring it to the wall for permanence. I just wish there could be a method of communication with appeals reviewers, though I understand why there isn’t
If you already have a wayspot there for art at this Starbucks and this art is something that might not be unique to this location, I understand it being rejected for not being distinct.
I’m not sure I can really give any more suggestions than those above, but just to say that I think the main issue here is simply that at a glance, these look like mass-produced prints, not unique artwork.
A lot of people are going to see the photo and immediately go into a negative outlook, so description and notes are going to need to be really convincing.
