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Hotel purchase translates into business op for art fair artist

Seek art and find what you love in your own backyard.

That was the sentiment of Kristen Charlton, former general manager of the Mark Twain Hotel in Peoria, when she learned that a particular Chicago artist would be exhibiting at the Fine Art Fair in 2008. Familiar with Dolan Geiman's work via her artist brother, the fair gave her the opportunity to investigate the artist further and see his work in person.

Charlton purchased a piece for her home and with her eye for design, had the idea that Geiman's work would also look particularly good in one of the Studio rooms at the hotel. So she purchased a smaller box print from Geiman as a prototype for a new wave of Studio rooms.

"I always loved the artwork in that room because it was the perfect piece to complement the exposed brick wall," said current general manager Naomi Shea. "When I became general manager and was in charge of a full-floor renovation of Studio rooms, I just knew that we needed to display Geiman's work in all the rooms."

Shea started the process of selling the concept of "real art" to her boss, hotel owner and former Peoria Mayor Bud Grieves. That was the easy part. The hard part was all the details that had to be discussed and confirmed before the purchase, such as how many pieces of art to buy, whether the same work would be in each room, whether they all would be the same size, and the costs.

After confirming all the details, Shea negotiated with the artist to produce 20 larger works of art measuring 40" x 27" for each of the rooms on the 7th floor. The rooms on that particular floor of the hotel are called Studio rooms with exposed brick walls and hip, contemporary furnishings.

"The Mark Twain is considered a boutique hotel that caters to the out-of-town business person during the week," said Shea. "We pay close attention to making our rooms modern, inviting and eco-friendly. Dolan's art certainly fits the profile."

Dolan Geiman is a nationally recognized mixed media artist from Chicago who creates original paintings, collages, constructions and limited-edition reproductions from found objects and other recycled materials. His eco-friendly artwork can be best described as a bit of folk art infused with a contemporary, urban style.

Since his stint at the Peoria Fine Art Fair, Geiman has transformed his passion for art into a multifaceted art and home accessories company. Dolan Geiman Inc. specializes in high-quality reproductions, affordable art gifts, and eco-friendly decor. In addition, it works with international retailers to wholesale artwork, license images, co-design new products and create custom window displays.

"A good number of our clients these days are not just married couples with homes, but corporate buyers and interior designers," said Geiman. "I think a lot of businesses have realized that there is a plethora of talent to be found at fine art fairs, so we've seen many new buyers coming to the shows looking for artists to help them with their projects."

Geiman continues to exhibit in fine art fairs all over the country; that is, when he's not doing commission work for clients like Fossil, YouTube, Urban Outfitters, Fairfield Inn & Suites and the Hyatt Regency.

Buying art for the hotel through the local fine art fair was not a new concept for the Mark Twain. The hotel staff makes a concerted effort to do business with local vendors and not bend to the standard, cookie-cutter goods that you see in any hotel in the country.

"We are fortunate that Mr. Grieves give us the ability to make good decisions and think outside the box," said Shea. "We not only purchased unique, quality art at an affordable price for an entire floor of the hotel, but it was all available to us a block from our front door."

Cathi Hawkinson, a regular contributing writer to The Peorian, is former co-chairwoman of the Peoria Fine Art Fair and remains involved in the local art scene.

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