Golden Artist Colors, Inc. has been producing artist quality paints since 1980, when Founder Sam Golden began the company from his 900-square-foot barn. Today, Golden is an industry leader with more than 200 employees and an approximately 100,000-square-foot facility on the grounds of the original barn, as well as a 45,000-square-foot commercial warehouse in Norwich. (Submitted photo)

NEW BERLIN - Golden Artist Colors, Inc. has seen a successful year as an award-winning manufacturer of art supplies.

The company began as a joint venture between Sam Golden and his uncle Leonard Bocour, who partnered to create Bocour Artist Colors in the 1930s. During their partnership, Golden had a hand in developing artist acrylic paint, known as the “Magna” line, with his first batch crafted in the late 1940s. Over time he continued to work on crafting paints, and eventually developed a popular waterborne acrylic paint known as “Aquatech.”

After 30 years, Golden retired from Bocour Artist Colors and moved to New Berlin. However, after growing bored with the life of a retiree, he returned to the paint production business with Golden Artist Colors, Inc.

Despite his humble beginnings in a 900-square-foot barn, Golden found success in the art industry. Golden Artist Colors only grew over the years, and today is a thriving industry leader with over 200 employees and an approximately 100,000-square-foot facility on the grounds of the original barn, as well as a 45,000-square-foot commercial warehouse in Norwich.

Success in 2023

Golden Artist Colors had great achievements in 2023, including launching new products, hiring new staff, hosting gallery exhibitions, and earning recognition for their hard work and superior products.

In November 2022 the company acquired PanPastel and Sofft Tools products, and 2023 marked the first full year Golden manufactured and sold PanPastel Colors. They describe PanPastels as “professional artist quality soft pastel colors packed in a unique pan format.”

When paired with the unique sponge design of Sofft Tools, the application tool for PanPastels, artists are able to “blend and apply pastel (dry) color like paint, something that’s never been possible before.” But PanPastels aren’t limited to paint-like application; they can also be used for drawing and mixed media, making them even more versatile and well-suited to a wide variety of artists.

Golden Artist Colors didn’t just sell fine art supplies in 2023; they also showcased the creations of several artists in the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery at Golden Artist Colors.

Their annual artist residency program celebrated the tenth anniversary of the “Made in Paint” exhibition in April, where the artwork of 18 resident artists was showcased in the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery.

In October, Golden Artist partnered with the Cooperstown Graduate Program of SUNY Oneonta to bring “Our Votes, Our Stories” to the gallery. The exhibition included paintings, sculptures, and installations from eight artists curated by Jimmy Nunn, Jr., a graduate of the Cooperstown Graduate Program.

The eight artists featured in the exhibition were Harper Bella, Greta Chapin-McGill, Sandra Charles, Brianna Harlan, Carla Rae Johnson, Lorie Novak, Taylor Sanders, and Vitus Shell.

The company also hired on a new Operations Director, Glen Chwala, who will oversee the entire operations and facilities areas. His focus will be on ensuring proper staffing and training levels for optimum functioning and implementing lean manufacturing strategies, with an emphasis on continuous improvement to ensure the safety and efficiency of Golden employees.

“We’re delighted that Glen, with all his experiences and talents, has joined the Golden Team,” said Golden Artist Colors President and COO Barbara Schindler. “Glen brings positive energy and excitement as he guides the operations team through our journey of continuous improvement, as well as his contributions to the senior leadership team in driving corporate strategies forward.”

Golden was also recognized for their leadership and contributions to their community, and Schindler was even presented the International Art Materials Association (NAMTA) Hall of Fame Award – the Association’s highest honor.

According to Golden Artist Colors, the Hall of Fame Award is given to individuals “who have been supporters, volunteers and champions of the association,” and Schindler was chosen for the award “for her enthusiasm to serve NAMTA and the broader fine arts community.”

Golden CEO and Co-Founder Mark Golden said, “While our entire arts industry celebrates Barbara [Schindler] for all her efforts to promote and strengthen the value of fine arts around the world, we here at Golden Artist Colors celebrate her dedication to a truly values-centered leadership every day. One that promotes honesty, openness, and a place where respect for all persons is treasured.”

Schindler was also recognized for her leadership in the manufacturing industry with the Manufacturing Association of Central New York (MACNY) Transformational Leadership Award.

The award is given annually to an individual who exemplifies qualities in line with the Live to Lead Initiative, such as character, commitment, courage, competence, initiative, passion, servanthood, and generosity.

Golden Artist Colors said Schindler was chosen for the award due to her dedication to Golden and its employees in the last 25 years, as well as her involvement in the community outside of the company.

Golden closed out the year with another big win in December: being presented the New York State Empire Award by Senator Joseph Griffo, which is given for “outstanding contributions and dedication to the growth, prosperity, and betterment of their community and New York State.”

On the horizon

Golden Artist plans to keep innovating in 2024, with several product initiatives and expansions planned for the new year.

Although Golden Artist Colors Public Relations Manager Jodi O’Dell said they can’t release any details yet, they do have plans for new product initiatives involving their new brand, PanPastel Artist Pastels. Schindler said they also plan to expand their QoR Artist Watercolors and Golden Artist Acrylics product lines.

They will also be showcasing plenty of art in the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery with three exhibits – something O’Dell said is unusual for the company.

The 2024 exhibit season will kick off with the “Four Fold Hurricane” exhibition, which features the works of Ronald Davis and Ronnie Landfield.

Davis’ “Fold Four” piece from 1969 is a four-panel polyester resin and fiberglass piece that spans over 21 feet wide. Landfield’s “Hurricane,” crafted in 2004, features acrylic paint “often applied in atmospheric layers, wherein varying colors waft and blend. Discrete segments can be hovering, sometimes abruptly changing hues side by side, or transitioning slowly via tint and shade.”

In regard to his work, Landfield said, “My inspiration has been my conviction that modern painting is fueled by the combination of tradition and the realities of modern life. Spirituality and feelings are the basic subjects of my work.”

Davis said,“My work is comprised of aggressively deceptive, meaningless, unidentified flying objects that pretend to be rational. Illusion is my vehicle. Opticality is paramount.”

In April, the “Made in Paint” exhibition will return to the gallery to showcase the works created by artists in the Golden Artist Colors Residency Program.

Founded in 2012 by the Sam and Adele Golden Foundation, the artist residency program provides large studio spaces and private apartments in a renovated 19th-century barn for artists working with paint. The program gives them the opportunity to explore and experiment with a vast range of materials and technology available to today’s painters.

The “Made in Paint” exhibition will feature works created by artists in the 2023 residency program. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery, located inside the Golden Artist Colors headquarters at 188 Bell Road in New Berlin.

In the fall, the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery will be filled with watercolor portraits by esteemed artist and author Ali Cavanaugh.

Cavanaugh is known for her expressionist and realist style in large-scale watercolor portraits, which have been featured in galleries and museums worldwide.

The exhibit comes in the wake of Golden’s partnership with Cavanaugh to create the six-color QoR Artist Watercolors Portrait Colors Set, which the company announced in December.

“I have been a committed QoR Watercolor user since 2014, so to have the opportunity to launch this set in partnership with Golden is truly incredible,” said Cavanaugh. “Painting portraits allows me to express my subjects in their most introverted, pure state. My portraiture, figurative realism, is aimed at sharing the mystery of life; my subject’s existence. It’s this intangible thing that makes you want to know more. It sparks your curiosity.”

Gallery exhibits are open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Of course, Golden wouldn’t be able to provide the high-quality products they’re known for without their dedicated and skilled staff. Part of manufacturing these high-end fine art supplies is making sure employees are up to date on training and have opportunities to expand their skills.

Investing in staff

“2024 will be a year of significant investment in training for our manufacturing team members,” said Schindler. “Annually we have leadership training for staff aspirational in developing, growing and being prepared for when a leadership position opens up.”

The new year will also bring an investment in manufacturing TWI and yellow and green belt lean training, which Schindler said are all levels of training that involve problem solving, project management processes, eliminating waste in processes, and how to make data-based decisions. She said the Golden operations team will be participating in these trainings throughout the year.

Additionally, Golden provides learning opportunities through their several committees, such as the Continuous Improvement, Safety, Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and Wellness Committees, among others.

Golden also invests in its employees by providing a robust benefits package, including support for continuing education, paid volunteer time, and company activities, such as Earth Day Cleanup, Schindler said.

A highly unique benefit for Golden Artist employees is their Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), which was first implemented in 2002.

In 2010, Golden took employee ownership a step further, and became one of just 4,000 companies in the nation to be majority owned by employees. By October 2021, Golden announced it was 100 percent employee owned.

“Implementing 100 percent ownership for staff is very unique and something our family has dreamt about since the company’s beginning,” said Golden Artist Colors CEO Mark Golden. “We began on the premise that ‘what you care about will grow,’ and Golden Artist Colors has grown many times beyond the dreams we once had as we peered across the fields from my parent’s kitchen. Four decades later it is clear that we’ve grown in the most wonderful ways. It has been through the care and dedication of each of our staff that has joined us on this journey and made this place part of themselves.”

With such a great emphasis placed on employee treatment and benefits, it’s no wonder Golden touts an extremely high retention rate. Schindler said approximately half of their employees have been with the company between five and 30 years.

However, that doesn’t mean Golden Artist hasn’t had its challenges. Schindler said the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the aftermath in the following years, has made it more difficult to hire staff.

Plus, she said being headquartered in Chenango County can make it difficult to find candidates for higher-level positions, who would need to relocate to the area.

“Any position can be difficult to fill – simply depending on the pool of candidates, which shift, and which facility,” said Schindler. “That stated, our positions requiring higher levels of education tend to be the positions which are more difficult to find the best candidate. One of the biggest challenges is our rural community – acclimating from either a city or suburban community can be quite the culture shock.”

Despite these challenges, Golden Artist continutes to push for the best and seek out the right candidates.

“Our Human Resources team is active in the community, participating in local job fairs when available. MACNY has been active working with us to bring local students here for tours and to learn from staff about the types of job positions we have here,” Schindler explained. “Also, we are currently working with two media organizations to develop content sharing what creative jobs exist at Golden and how staff has developed and grown into unique roles as a result of training on the job.”

Investment in community

Investment goes beyond the walls of the Golden Artist plant and reaches out into the community. The company makes consistent efforts to collaborate with other local organizations, participate in charitable work, and invest in local art.

To support both the community and their employees, O’Dell said Golden gives employees 40 hours of paid volunteer time per year, which they can use to support organizations and nonprofits of their choice.

“They can choose how they want to use that time, they just have to complete a form for the hours that they completed and some information about what they did, the organizations they supported, that kind of thing, and then it goes to human resources,” she said.

“We also have activities here that you can use your volunteer time for, like most every year we do an Earth Day cleanup around the facility, we have staff that volunteer for Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival. So there’s different activities that we as a company support and have staff volunteer for, and then there’s also outside organizations that staff just feel passionate about and want to be involved in, and that’s a way for them to do that as well.”

Additionally, employees who are volunteers with local fire and EMS services are given 80 hours of paid volunteer time per year.

“If there is an emergency in the community or a call in the community, they can feel good about leaving work and being able to support those in need in the community, and then they won’t get shortened time for their work week,” O’Dell said.

To help artists in the process of creating art, the Golden Material Applications Specialists Team offers phone and email assistance with the application of Golden Artist products as well as other art industry materials.

Golden Artist also supports both art and non-art related organizations through the donation of funds and materials.

“We donate monies locally, regionally, nationally, and globally for art and non-art related organizations who request our support,” Schindler said. “We also have a donation program for materials (paints) to support community projects, artists in need, et cetera.”

Some local organizations who have received support in the past include the Chenango Arts Council, Commerce Chenango, the Earlville Opera House, area schools and school sports teams, Rogers Environmental Education Center, and hospice centers.

“We try to support all the schools that request, but in particular we pay close attention to those schools and organizations that our staff are involved in and/or where their children go to school,” said O’Dell.

O’Dell said Golden Artist Colors also gives annual donations to local fire and EMT services, even if funding isn’t requested.

Regionally, O’Dell said Golden supports art conservation groups, such as CERF, which supports artists impacted by hardships and natural disasters, as well as global arts organizations.

Locally, Golden also supports the arts and art-related organizations with gift certificates for art exhibition awards, paint donations, guest speaker events, and more.

“Oftentimes we try to provide a gift certificate for the artists as an award for the exhibition, and we try to tailor the gift certificate to the artist and the type of painting that they do,” O’Dell explained. “So it might be a watercolor organization, and so the gift certificate would be for our core artist watercolors brand, for example.”

Supporting the arts in the Chenango County area, across the country, and across the world is one of Golden Artist Colors’ core values, and they plan to continue that investment in years to come.

“History and data show that investments in the arts can change the world,” said Schindler. “That is part of our corporate mission and vision.”

For more information on Golden Artist Colors, visit goldenartistcolors.com. More information on the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery and Foundation can be found at thesagg.org and goldenfoundation.org.