Leigh Fogle Interview
Leigh Fogle owns and manages one of the fastest growing companies involved with art for HealthCare in the Southeast: Fogle Fine Art. I called her this week to ask her some questions about the business.
How has the current economic downturn affected your business?
We started seeing a slowdown in the 3rd quarter of 2007. Small companies like ours started to feel the downturn before the larger companies got hit.
Our business has three sides, retail, corporate and healthcare. The corporate work has had the biggest hit; especially the banks. Our bank business is gone. High-end retail has remained strong. Our healthcare business is fine. However, we are bracing for a possible downturn in Healthcare Art budgets over the next few years. Hospital construction will continue, but if inflation goes up (as we expect) then the hospitals will have less money to devote to Art. Art budgets will be cut.
Our business has three sides, retail, corporate and healthcare. The corporate work has had the biggest hit; especially the banks. Our bank business is gone. High-end retail has remained strong. Our healthcare business is fine. However, we are bracing for a possible downturn in Healthcare Art budgets over the next few years. Hospital construction will continue, but if inflation goes up (as we expect) then the hospitals will have less money to devote to Art. Art budgets will be cut.
Tell me a little about Fogle Fine Art. How did you get into this?
I started college at DePauw University with a major in economics; I’ve always loved numbers. But numbers weren’t enough, I love working with people and I love art, so I switched to Indiana University. There I earned a BA with a degree as an Art History major. I minored in psychology and studio art.
Right after graduation my husband, a musician, convinced me to move to Jacksonville, Florida.
Right after graduation my husband, a musician, convinced me to move to Jacksonville, Florida.
How did the company start and how has it changed over the years?
In 1994, one year after moving to Jacksonville, I started Leigh Fogle Fine Art. I bought a used Matt-cutter and my husband (Bryan) and I started the business in our house. Our focus was providing framing and poster art for corporate clients.
In 1996 we got an SBA loan and leased 3,600 square feet of office space. We also changed the name to Fogle Fine Art and Accessories. Business grew rapidly so in 2001 we leased the adjacent office to expand our space to 6,000 square feet.
Healthcare became an increasing focus starting in 2003. Jacksonville was a referral hub for healthcare with facilities like Mayo Clinic and Shands. We worked with them and that became a special interest of mine.
In 2005 we moved to our current location. It is bigger (10,000 square feet) and it is in a better location to hold events (we have a lot of events in the gallery).
In 1996 we got an SBA loan and leased 3,600 square feet of office space. We also changed the name to Fogle Fine Art and Accessories. Business grew rapidly so in 2001 we leased the adjacent office to expand our space to 6,000 square feet.
Healthcare became an increasing focus starting in 2003. Jacksonville was a referral hub for healthcare with facilities like Mayo Clinic and Shands. We worked with them and that became a special interest of mine.
In 2005 we moved to our current location. It is bigger (10,000 square feet) and it is in a better location to hold events (we have a lot of events in the gallery).
Why are you drawn to art for healthcare?
My interest goes back many years. Even in the 7th grade I remember writing a school paper on the psychological impact of color. With my background in art and psychology in college, I considered Art Therapy as a career move in 1994.
Art in hospitals affects people more than corporate art. I don’t treat it as a “product”, but rather I approach the work as a partner with the hospital. Often I involve local artists to reach out to the local community.
Art in hospitals affects people more than corporate art. I don’t treat it as a “product”, but rather I approach the work as a partner with the hospital. Often I involve local artists to reach out to the local community.
How has your staffing changed over the years?
In 1994 there were just two of us. In 1996 we had expanded to 4. In 2001 we had grown to 12 employees, but most of them were part-time. Today we have 8 full-time employees and 2 or more part-time employees. We intentionally want to stay small. I want to stay small enough to be “hands on”.
What geographic area do you serve?
We serve the entire Southeastern United States and plan to stay within that region. Since framing is such a big part of our business (60-70%), shipping the framed art becomes a major issue. By focusing on the Southeast we can keep down shipping costs and be more available to our clients.
Recently my husband has gotten a full-time job as a songwriter in Nashville. This means I will be spending more time in Nashville which is perfect to better serve the Southeast. I had already been working with companies based in Nashville (Earl Swenson, Gresham Smith and HCA). Now that I will be there more I can better serve them.
Recently my husband has gotten a full-time job as a songwriter in Nashville. This means I will be spending more time in Nashville which is perfect to better serve the Southeast. I had already been working with companies based in Nashville (Earl Swenson, Gresham Smith and HCA). Now that I will be there more I can better serve them.
What percentage of your business is HealthCare
20 to 25% and growing.
Do you refer to Evidence-based Art when helping a HealthCare client come up with an art program?
I am not an expert on Evidence-based Design (EBD) yet, but I’m learning about it. I tend to go with my gut and my background in Art History.
I am aware of the studies done at Texas A&M showing that art depicting clear, unambiguous nature scenes helps patients recover faster and with less pain medication. Crisp, clear photographs are always powerful as the viewer can put themselves into the picture, so to speak.
I am aware of the studies done at Texas A&M showing that art depicting clear, unambiguous nature scenes helps patients recover faster and with less pain medication. Crisp, clear photographs are always powerful as the viewer can put themselves into the picture, so to speak.
Some research on Evidence-based Art suggests that abstract art is inappropriate for patient care areas. What is your opinion?
Even though I like abstract art, I agree. In patient care areas representational art that is calm and peaceful is important. But I think that even more important than subject matter is color. Blues and greens are the colors of nature and these work much better in healthcare.
In other parts of the hospital I think it is fine to bring in abstraction. Often I like to see a transition to abstraction when going from patient care areas to public areas. One way to do this is to use representational images of nature are close up and hence tend to read as abstract; like images of water.
In other parts of the hospital I think it is fine to bring in abstraction. Often I like to see a transition to abstraction when going from patient care areas to public areas. One way to do this is to use representational images of nature are close up and hence tend to read as abstract; like images of water.
Fogle Fine Art & Accessories
3312 Beach Blvd.
Jacksonville FL 32207
www.foglefineart.com
(800) 298-4828
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