BofA turning branches into galleries for disadvantaged artists

Artists living with disabilities or dealing with homelessness will soon have a new place to exhibit and find buyers for their work: Bank of America branches.

Bank of America is investing $2 million and working with the organization ArtLifting to display artwork at almost 100 financial centers across the U.S., eventually expanding to 900. The initial pieces to be shown are by artists from New York, Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Houston and other U.S. cities, the lender said in a news release Thursday.

The work will be paired with information on each artist’s background and career, with customers able to buy prints of the art from ArtLifting’s website. The artist receives 55% of the profit from a sale, with the rest going toward supplies for art groups and support for ArtLifting, which assists underrepresented artists.

“We believe strongly in the power of the arts to help economies thrive and to create greater cultural understanding,” Aron Levine, president of preferred banking at Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bank of America, said in the release.

Financial firms including Bank of America are reworking their branches as technology and the pandemic change how customers conduct their everyday banking. For those that prefer in-person interaction, many branches are being outfitted with couches and conference rooms where clients can meet with bankers.