At its new Atlanta HQ, Norfolk Southern carries on a railroad tradition of supporting the visual arts

By Julie Sneider, Senior Editor  

Norfolk Southern Railway, one of many major U.S. and global companies that maintains a corporate art collection, earlier this month put out a call for artists interested in occupying studio space at its new headquarters and 750,000-square-foot campus in Atlanta. 

The Class I is seeking applications for a visual artist who is "motivated to engage with and build connections with employees through the power of art," NS officials said in a press release. The company is offering two years of 755 square feet of studio space at no cost, with utilities and internet connection included. The artist also will receive an annual stipend of $5,000. In exchange, the artist will work in the studio at least 20 hours a week and at the end of the residency, donate an artwork valued at $10,000 to the Norfolk Southern Artist in Residency collection. 

The NS Artist in Residency program is part of the railroad’s tradition of using art to build employee morale and reflect the company’s values, company officials say. 

"It was very important to me that this [sculpture] look exceptional." — Artist Dee Briggs Norfolk Southern Railway

"Norfolk Southern has a legacy of supporting the arts community and a deep respect for the art they create," NS Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer Annie Adams told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in January 2022. "Art brings people together, and through this new program we aim to foster unity, inclusion and offer an opportunity for our employees and the community to directly engage with the arts." 

Using art to unify employees after a merger 

NS’ art collection dates to 1982, when the Norfolk & Western and Southern railroads merged to form what is now Norfolk Southern. Arnold McKinnon — who served as NS chairman, president and CEO from 1987-1992 — saw art as one way to unify employees and help build the NS brand, according to Kristin Wong, NS director of corporate giving. 

McKinnon’s goal was to display the art throughout the building — not tucked away in offices — so employees could view it, Wong said in an email.  

"When we moved into our new Atlanta headquarters, we took a fresh look at our brand and our company values," Wong said. "Out of the collection, we picked the pieces that most aligned with who we are and who we strive to be — pieces that reflect industry, innovation and inclusion." 

NS once attracted national attention in the art world when it auctioned off a 1959 abstract-expressionist painting by artist Mark Rothko at the Sotheby’s auction house in New York City. In November 2013, NS sold the piece — an oil on paper laid down on canvas — and directed $1.5 million of the proceeds to a capital campaign to restore the Norfolk & Western Railway 611, a streamlined steam locomotive known as the "Queen of Steam" for use in passenger excursion service. 

One of the many paintings on display at Norfolk Southern’s Atlanta headquarters. Titled “La Cabeza Del Deseo,” the painting is by Argentina-born artist Maria Korol, who is now based in Atlanta. Norfolk Southern Railway

Today, the art collection in Atlanta — a mix of paintings, sketches, photographs, lithographs, prints, sculptures and giclees — features pieces moved from the McKinnon headquarters in Norfolk, as well as new works created by local artists. The Atlanta firm ConsultArt Inc. helped NS move its collection from Norfolk to Atlanta. It also has been tapped to screen the artist-in-residence applications and is advising the company on sourcing new works of art. 

One artist commissioned to create a piece specifically for the NS Atlanta campus is Dee Briggs, an American sculptor based in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. Briggs’ massive, weathering-steel structure, titled "Can’t You See," can be viewed outside the company’s headquarters on Peachtree Street and evokes visions of train tracks, movement and tunnels. In preparing to create the work, she spent time at NS locations, talking to employees and learning about the railroad and its history, Briggs said in an NS video recorded as the sculpture was under construction. 

"It was very important to me that this [sculpture] look exceptional," Briggs said. As it was installed on site, Briggs performed some of the finishing work so that she could feel connected to the people of NS and show her "respect for the work that they do." 

"It has to be perfect," Briggs said of the sculpture. 

An ‘intersection of history, art and commerce’ 

Other railroads also have long developed collections of art. At its museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Union Pacific Railroad maintains a large historic collection, including several pieces of fine art by American painters Howard Fogg and Frank Nuderscher, said Robynn Tysver, UP media relations manager, in an email. Fogg was known particularly for his railroad scenes, including of UP locomotives.  

And at BNSF Railway Co., the Class I and its predecessor railroads amassed a trove of paintings that depict how railroads encouraged westward development, according to a "Rail Talk" online feature BNSF posted in 2019. But BNSF’s collection didn’t start out as museum-worthy; it began as a way to entice travelers to take the train to visit tourist attractions in the West and Southwest United States. The Great Northern, Northern Pacific and Santa Fe — BNSF predecessor lines — hired dozens of commercial painters to travel to the West, Southwest and Pacific Northwest to capture landscapes on canvas to encourage tourism. 

"This would have been the first time many people east of the Mississippi River would have seen these wonders of the new America," art curator Bradley Houston says in the Rail Talk video. Houston describes BNSF’s collection as "a fascinating intersection between history, commerce and art." 

Artwork on display at Norfolk Southern’s Atlanta HQ. Many pieces on display feature QR codes posted alongside them so employees can scan information about the works and their artists. Norfolk Southern Railway

The Santa Fe commissioned paintings that depicted the Southwest, Native American scenes, desert landscapes and the Grand Canyon, according to the Rail Talk report. The railroad hired top-tier painters who formed the Taos Society of Artists. Northern Pacific hired artist Thomas Moran to paint scenes of the Yellowstone territory; his work titled "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" is considered by some to be the most important of the BNSF collection. Meanwhile, the Great Northern hired the Austrian-born artist John Fery to paint scenes from the Glacier National Park region; BNSF’s collection now contains the largest concentration of his works in the world, according to the BNSF video. 

Many pieces of BNSF’s collection can be viewed at its headquarters campus in Fort Worth, Texas. 

NS officials consider the company’s new Atlanta campus an opportunity to continue its long-standing tradition of supporting the visual arts. In November, NS will hold one in a series of employee auctions of select paintings and photographs as it rotates and replaces artwork throughout the headquarters. Proceeds will be donated to a local art nonprofit organization. 

Also, NS plans to distribute grants to various Atlanta organizations committed to arts and culture, furthering their efforts in education, equity and sustainability. ConsultArt President Anne Tracht says more companies are following the path that NS is taking, which is to use corporate art collections and programs to reflect the diversity and reality of the communities where they work and serve. 

"They’re not looking for a pretty picture" to hang on the office wall, she says. "They’re looking for something to be reflective of the community at large and to be engaging with everyone in all aspects of life."