Friday, June 08, 2007

Microsoft's contemporary art collection grows up

Continued from page 1

By Associated Press

Microsoft, Matzer said, collects as a benefit to employees. Her aim is to spark creativity and to give workers, who spend so much time in the plastic environment of phones and computers, access to contrasting, tactile objects.

Nicholas Dodge, a software tester on Microsoft's Web search team, said that when he moved into Building 88 in December, there was no art on the walls.

''It felt kind of industrial,'' he said. ''Now it feels more lived in, just kind of more alive.''

He strode through the mazelike hallways of the building one recent day, proudly pointing out his favorite works. ''This one right here is really cool,'' he said of ''Night Landscape 2,'' a small painting by William Johnson from 1990. ''It's nice and dark.''

After succeeding Klein in 2004, Matzer continued to use his guidelines as she sought out new works. She's also interested in artists who use technology in interesting ways. She recently bought ''Easeful City,'' by Japanese artist Satoru Aoyama, who rendered a decaying cityscape with delicate embroidery stitches.

When she's not out scouting new artists, or at home reading about them, Matzer is focused on raising Microsoft's profile in the art world. The collection's first annual report is in the works, and she's hoping to publish a catalog of the objects by 2010. She speaks at museum conferences and joined the year-old International Association of Corporate Collections of Contemporary Art.

But working inside Microsoft presents challenges most museum staff won't encounter. For one thing, the geography is daunting: Matzer is in charge of curating mini-exhibitions in 80 buildings around the country plus Japan and Denmark.

Unlike the typical museum, which hangs less than 10 percent of its collection at a time, Microsoft keeps only a small percentage of its works in a climate-controlled vault. As a result, Matzer's budget is constrained by how fast Microsoft expands in any given year. (Matzer declined to give specifics about her budget, but Klein said during his last year he spent about $1.2 million.)

Matzer has also become savvy in arcane technical details -- the pros and cons of different types of halogen bulbs, for example. The LED lights she'd prefer to use for conservation reasons cost more up front than Microsoft wants to spend, so she's compromised on a certain halogen bulb to illuminate the art.

Then, of course, there are the employees.

''The main difference is that, when you're in a museum or a gallery, you're interacting with people who have actively sought you out,'' said Meagan Hatcher-Mays, public programs manager for the collection.

An internal company Web site lists tours, artist lectures and panels on art collecting, but the handful of employees approached on campus for this story didn't know it existed.

Another problem: Only 200 pieces are accompanied by extended background information.

''Some people may come in either not understanding, or feeling antagonistic toward the piece,'' said Matzer.

A group of employees was particularly grateful for an explanation posted a few weeks after a giant painted plywood hot dog by New York-based artist Cary Liebowitz appeared in their building.

One told Hatcher-Mays that ''not everyone liked it, but at least they understood what it was about.''

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On the Net:

Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/artcollection

Progressive Casualty Insurance Co.

http://art.progressive.com

Deutsche Bank AG:

http://www.deutsche-bank-art.com