There is a universality to the appreciation of art that I absolutely love. From printing t-shirts with kids all over Chicago one day to pitching a major art project to a major client the next, I would often exist in different rooms, with different budgets, but where the same exact conviction was driving my intersection with both.
Connecting with people around the power of art is my work. And that's basically been my last 15 years in one sentence.
I was the founder of IPaintMyMind and now run my own independent art consulting practice here in Chicago, Evan La Ruffa | Art Consulting, and if you've followed either one you already know the tagline isn't marketing copy to me.
Art is a human right is not a mission statement I trot out for grant applications, but the actual standard I hold every project to, whether the client is a large corporation or a public elementary school with a fraction of the budget.
The question at the heart of that ethos as it relates to leading art projects means asking one incredibly important question, “who is it for?” In this sense, the project, the curation, and the art, is an act of service in figuring out what the best solution is for the people and the space the art is for.
I think part of why I hold both worlds at once comes from how I grew up. I'm Argentinian-American, bilingual, what I've started calling a "Whitino" - a White Latino living right on that cultural line. That in-between-ness taught me early that identity, and by extension art, doesn't have to pick a side to be legitimate.
It just has to connect with people.
So I built a career the same way.
On one side: enterprise art consulting for brands like Capital One, adidas, PepsiCo, LinkedIn, Discover, BMO Harris - custom murals, art rentals, gallery-caliber installations that hold up under a customized strategy to deliver value for each one. On the other: public and community art, school murals, activations built for people who never see a line-item budget in their life. Sabin Elementary's hallways got the same care as any corporate lobby I've curated. Not a watered-down version of "real" client work - the real thing, just for a different audience.
I don't curate down for a school mural or curate up for a bank lobby. I curate for the room - who's actually going to live, work, or play in and around the piece every day, and what type of experience it facilitates for them.
What’s more, working with many incredible artists and building a global network while managing projects for major clients has taught me what’s needed for both sides, which is why I am really excited about the model for my new practice.
15 Years of Art: Bringing Clients & Artists Together
IPaintMyMind was built around advocating for artists we believed in and helping to facilitate and manage great opportunities for them. That meant winning incredible clients who believed in the power of art and bringing it all together for both parties. That’s why I am really excited about the model for my new art consulting practice, which leverages my 15+ years of experience to solve art opportunities for both clients and artists.
If you're a client - a brand, a company, an institution, whether commercial or residential - I'm the person who makes sure the art in your space earns its wall.
That covers:
Art Consulting - I work with you to optimize spend & increase impact while building an art program that tells a story & elevates your presence.
Curation - By selecting and organizing work around your brand, your space, & your vision, I draw on my global network of artists to present options.
Sourcing & Acquisitions - Finding the right existing pieces or the right artist for a custom commission requires process, paperwork, and planning which I manage and navigate for you.
Project Management - I run the project timeline, budget, and logistics to set expectations, meet deadlines, and ensure successful progression.
Art Strategy and Visioning - The discovery work that happens before anyone talks about a specific piece, so the art has a reason for being there and we know how the story and vision comes together.
Design Support - I make sure the art works with the architecture and brand identity around it, not against it, amplifying impact and authenticity.
Implementation Support - I support fabrication coordination, installation day, and everything in between, ensuring a stress-free delivery.
My Custom Process - Focused on transparency, trust, sequenced collaboration, and great results, I pride myself on clear and honest communication 100% of the time.
If you're an artist, I'm not a gallery, an exclusive agent or an admin. I work as the co-CEO of your business, ensuring strategy, vision, and execution always coincide, helping you focus on the aspects of the business that you value most. Every artist has a different set of circumstances, allowing me to customize my strategy to support your goals.
Business Strategy and Development - I love figuring out who your work is actually right for, and going after those relationships deliberately instead of hoping to get discovered. I systematize the approach and custom build based on your strategy.
Efficient Operations - The reality is that elegance of your operations matters. Not only the unglamorous backend: proposals, contracts, pricing conversations, scheduling, the stuff that eats studio time if nobody's handling it, but targets, constraints, guidelines, and SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) that help artists delegate and win.
Client Relations - I am great at building and protecting the corporate and institutional relationships that turn into real, paid, recurring work.
A Wing-Man - I can have the tough conversations, help box out for you, protect your time, and ensure your life’s work is always valued with timely payments, clear communication, and respect.
Same conviction, two different jobs. Clients get someone who treats their space with the same seriousness as a museum would. Artists get someone who treats their business with the same seriousness as their work deserves.
Art is a human right. Not a slogan, but a standard. Everything on this site, on either path, was built to meet it.
Explore my work at EvanLaRuffa.com - where art meets impact, whether corporate or public, commercial or residential, client or artist……….. every time.