Jan Marion of H. Marion Framing shares a few tips with Roma Moulding about putting your best foot forward when approaching “how good design works.”

Storefront display at H. Marion Framing

There is no one, indisputable way to decorate a frameshop or art galley in a way that gets customers’ attention and makes a unique statement about what the staff does. Different shops can decorate their spaces in entirely different ways and from entirely different design perspectives and still enjoy great success. There are a few key, important things to keep in mind, however, such as the importance of creating window displays that peak the interest of passersby and designing interior spaces that show off the best products and services a shop has to offer. Several retailers have found that applying sound principles of design and merchandising to their decorating schemes and including high-end frames such as those from Roma Moulding help to ensure that they are putting their best design foot forward.

(more…)

by Chris Gaerig

Jan Marion, owner and founder of H. Marion Framing Studio, understands that green design involves more than just meeting the latest industry standards. “First and foremost, the design must look good. It’s like if you’re eating health food; it’s got to taste good first for people to really want to eat it,” says Marion. “Specifically for healthcare design, not only must it look good, but also it needs to reflect the values of and reinforce the brand image of the facility.” Such is the philosophy behind the firm’s latest project at St. Francis Hospital’s Wolf Gallery, in Evanston, Illinois.

(more…)

Whether your facility is building a replacement hospital, giving a face lift to an existing space or preparing for a complete unit renovation, the main three factors which will insure a successful project are: design, design and design. After the floor plan has been created and wonderful interior finishes have been selected, chances are something resembling art will go on the wall. A good art consultant will make sure that art is not arbitrarily selected for the walls. We need to work with the architect and the hospital administrators to tailor an art program to suit the community served, the function of the unit and the philosophy and vision that the hospital wants to convey. We need to keep up with the latest research on art in hospitals and healthcare design trends through continuing education, attending art shows and industry round tables. This type of research allows the consultant to understand which types of images reduce stress and promote healing in certain patient populations or in certain medical arenas. In other words, a geriatric unit will require different art than a pediatrics unit; a heart transplant unit will look different than a birthing unit or an emergency department.

(more…)

by John Oberlin

H. Marion Framing took a step out of season, so to say, when the Glenview, Illinois-based art consultant and procurer began selecting healing images for a cardiac rehabilitation facility expansion at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The views of nature seen through the limited editions, prints, woodblocks, etchings, giclées, photography, and watercolor originals reflect the local region’s natural seasonal cycle and culture.

Jan Marion, president of H. Marion, wanted to show more than life at the pinnacle of its growth: a tree full of green leaves or a flower in full bloom. He wanted the whole process of life: “Typically when we do healthcare, our images are signs of life. It’s a tree with leaves on it, not a bare tree in the dead of winter. However, within this facility, we weren’t afraid to illustrate the four seasons. It’s a natural part of the cycle there.”

Like most parts of the Midwest, the “natural cycle” in Madison includes a temperate climate characterized by variable weather patterns and a large seasonal temperature variance. This location made this somewhat risky art-selection strategy possible, Marion says. Southern Wisconsinites experience winter temperatures well below freezing, with moderate to occasionally very heavy snowfall, and high temperatures in the summer often reaching the upper 80s and 90s Fahrenheit. As one artist whom Marion was working with on the project put it, “If you don’t like winter, you have no business living in Wisconsin.”

(more…)

Hiring the right press agent can get your frame shop the publicity it deserves

H. Marion Framing showroom in Glenview, Ill.

When Jan Marion, owner of H. Marion Framing Studio Inc. in Glenview, Ill., was preparing to host an exhibition of children’s artwork at his gallery space last spring, he knew it was newsworthy enough to attract the attention of the general public and the local media. After all, it was an opportunity for the elementary school kids to show their pieces in a real gallery and for the community to throw its support behind the arts program.

A firm believer in the value of art education for all ages, Marion regularly hosts school programs in his frame shop. “Our belief is the more kids are exposed to art, the more they understand it,” he says. “It’s so important to foster art appreciation at an early age. And it’s our way of giving back to the community.”

(more…)