State of Colorado Federal Government Joins NAP

After learning that the US General Service Administration (GSA) already hosted small annual employee art shows, it was only logical for the NAP to reach out to discuss the opportunity of partnering with them. The GSA “After Hours” show, only in its third year, already offered the ground work for an employee exhibit providing the opportunity for them to display their artwork publicly and receive awards, seven in total including a ‘Best of Show’. The premise for the show, which usually featured around forty pieces of art, was the idea of employees using their creative talents outside of work, on their own time.

Once “After Hours” coordinator Janet Paladino realized what the NAP could offer the participants, she knew that partnering with us was the right move in order to allow the show to flourish. By joining with the NAP, GSA was able to open the eligibility of the exhibit up to immediate family members of employees, all while being able to provide additional awards, including sixteen cash prizes.  Adding this to the administrative support and personal guidance each venue receives, the show was sure to be the best yet. Janet stated, “our first year working with the NAP was a tremendous success!” The exhibit featured 113 pieces of artwork, a 65% increase from their 2014 exhibition!  

One of the elements that made this year so successful was the inclusion of family members, providing a new depth to the show while giving employees the opportunity to include people from their personal lives. Benjamin Morgan (pictured), who won Second Place in the Youth 12 & Under category, is the perfect example of this. He shared that he would be using the prize money to buy a better camera to continue to work on his photography.  

Bringing communities together through art is exactly what the NAP strives for and we are excited GSA has joined our program!