Last weekend I drove down to the Illinois Institute of Technology with my son and daughter-in-law to check out the Andy Warhol “Silver Clouds” (circa 1966) exhibit. I hadn’t studied up on this 3-dimensional aspect of Warhol’s art so didn’t know what to expect. I’m very familiar with his paintings, screen prints and films, but this was something of pure joy to see.

The vast space in Mies van der Rohe’s S.R. Crown building was consumed with chrome-like king-size pillows filled with helium. Commercial fans were strategically placed on the floor to help keep the “clouds” in motion. At first, I just stood there and gawked but slowly started to walk into a corner that was filled floor to ceiling with hundreds of these magnificent floating objects.

The feel of them bouncing off my head, the sound of the fans, the light playing wildly off the shiny surfaces was amazing.

The possibilities to affect people on a large scale seem limitless when you consider how such a simple idea can make you jump around and smile like a kid. As art often does to me, I came away inspired, energized and full of ideas on how our company can make a powerful impact with our thinking, our hearts and our actions.
Joe Davis