Ex-soldier leaps into boardroom

Mar 20 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

A FORMER soldier is brightening up the North East’s boardrooms and helping out the region’s artists at the same time.

Adrian Waddell started WorkArt three years ago to lease pictures to businesses. It has customers between Newcastle and Peterlee and has just added Jesmond firm Professional Wealth Management, which has recently moved, to its portfolio.

Mr Waddell, of Middleton, near Morpeth, decided to start his business shortly before being posted to Afghanistan with the Army.

“I saw a window to do something completely different,” he said. “I took a great leap.”

He works with 30 to 40 North East artists and visits potential clients to talk about the type of art they are looking for and how it could benefit their business.

The displays are usually refreshed twice a year or more frequently as the client’s artistic tastes develop. Mr Waddell, who grew up in Corbridge, said: “It’s not just the obvious ones, it’s anybody who sees clients on their premises.

“It seems to work best for people who have meeting rooms. It’s important for them to project a creative and forward-leaning aspect of their business. It’s a conversation piece.” Although most work on display can be bought, Mr Waddell stresses this is not WorkArt’s motivation.

“I think there’s probably a feeling that people see work in their workplace and they associate it with work and they don’t want to take it home,” he said. “I don’t put a great big price label next to it. If a client is paying to have good art in their business, they don’t want a price tag beside it.

“I wouldn’t say it was completely unique in the North East, but it is probably the only arts organisation in the North East that exists exclusively to rent artwork.”