Art, Community and the Business of Feeling Good

From Blank Walls to Better Business: How to Choose Art That Works

Part two of our fourth-quarter series on art as a business investment. By Adriana Groza, artist and owner of Adriana Groza Art, Princeton.

In our last post, we made the case for putting the year-end budget into original art. The research is clear: people do better work in spaces that make them feel good. Offices enriched with art were about 17% more productive than bare ones, and up to 32% when employees helped choose the art.

The natural next question is a simple one: "Okay, I'm convinced. Now what?"

This post answers that. But first, a bit of news I'm proud to share.

Named 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year

I'm honored to share that I've been named the 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce. The award will be presented on December 3, 2026, at the Chamber's Legacy of Leadership Awards at TPC Jasna Polana.

I share this because it connects directly to the message of this series. My gallery on Spring Street was built on one idea: art is not just something to look at. It brings people together and makes them feel something, and that feeling moves them to act.

I've seen it happen again and again. Our monthly Spring Street Circle gatherings have turned strangers into collaborators who now refer business to each other. Community evenings at the gallery, from comedy nights to candidate meet-and-greets, fill the room with conversation. And the Corporate Art Program has brought that same energy into offices across the region.

This recognition belongs to everyone who believed that art and business belong in the same room. Thank you to the Chamber and to this community.

How to choose art that works for your business

1. Start with how you want people to feel. Energized? Calm? Confident? A sales floor needs different energy than a quiet finance office. Name the feeling first, then pick the art.

2. Match the art to the room's job.

Lobby: make a statement. One large, bold original says more than ten small prints.
Conference rooms: set the tone for decisions. Choose work that sparks conversation without distracting from it.
Workspaces and break rooms: focus on everyday lift. Color, movement and nature-inspired imagery help people recharge between tasks.

3. Go original. Mass-produced prints fill space. Original art tells a story that belongs to your company, and it gives clients and visitors something to remember.

4. Bring your team into it. This is the most important step, and the easiest one to skip. In the research, letting employees help choose the art nearly doubled the productivity gain. Share a short list and let people vote. It costs nothing and builds ownership.

5. Choose the right model for your budget. Loan programs offer a predictable monthly fee and fresh rotations. Purchasing means you pay once and own the work for years. A hybrid does both: buy signature pieces for the lobby, lease the rest.

6. Plan the details. Scale, lighting and placement make or break a piece. A painting that is too small for its wall disappears. Professional installation protects both the art and your walls.

Four mistakes to avoid:

Treating art as an afterthought. Art chosen last, to fill leftover wall space, rarely fits the room or the brand. Plan it alongside furniture and lighting.
Playing it too safe. Beige art in a beige room changes nothing. The research gains came from spaces that felt noticeably richer, not slightly decorated.
Deciding alone. One executive's taste is not a strategy. Involve the people who will live with the art every day.
Letting it go stale. Even great art fades into the background after years in the same spot. Rotation or a periodic refresh keeps spaces feeling alive.

The bottom line

When people feel good, they think better thoughts. Better thoughts become better decisions, and better decisions become better results. Art is one of the simplest ways to set that chain in motion, and the benefit keeps working every year it stays on the wall.

There is still time to make it part of this year's plan.

Let's talk about your space. Call 609-372-7857, email info@adrianagroza.art, or visit the gallery at 38 Spring Street in downtown Princeton, open Weekends 10–5 and weekdays by appointment.

About the author

Adriana Groza is a Princeton-based artist known for large-format abstract florals full of movement, energy and color. She owns Adriana Groza Art, a studio and gallery on Spring Street, and leads its Corporate Art Program, helping businesses bring original art into their spaces through loan, purchase and hybrid options. She is a Member Ambassador of the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce and its 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Research cited: Knight & Haslam (2010), Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 16(2), 158–172.