About the Organization
Convene is a hospitality company that designs and operates premium meeting, event, and flexible workspace environments. Located within Commerce Square in Center City Philadelphia, their spaces are designed with intention, bringing together architecture, service, and experience to support how people gather.
A defining aspect of Convene’s environments is their commitment to integrating design at every level. Their interior design team carefully considers how people move through a space, how they feel within it, and how each element, including commissioned artwork, contributes to that experience.
About the Project
Creative Repute was commissioned to create a series of four large-scale paintings on canvas for Convene’s space inside Commerce Square.
Convene reached out directly to Creative Repute’s founder, Nile Livingston, a practicing visual artist with over 20 years of professional experience, to lead the creation of original, large-scale artwork for their event and co-working environment.
From the beginning, this was a highly collaborative process. Convene’s team, alongside their architects and interior designers, shared architectural plans, mood boards, and early design concepts to ensure the artwork would feel fully integrated into the space. This level of interior design team support allowed the paintings to function as part of the environment, not an afterthought.
The space itself is massive and organized into four distinct color-coded sections to support intuitive wayfinding:
- Gold / Yellow (Entry)
- Red
- Green
- Blue
Each section required a commissioned custom painting on canvas that would align with its color palette, materials, and overall aesthetic, while also grounding the space in Philadelphia’s cultural identity.
The final series includes:
- Mastbaum Theatre (Gold Zone)
- Grace Baptist Church (Red Zone)
- Polett Walk at Temple University (Green Zone)
- Academy of Music (Blue Zone)
Each painting measures 7 ft by 7 ft and serves as a visual anchor that greets guests as they move through the space.
This project is a strong example of what it looks like to hire an artist to contribute not just artwork, but to the full spatial experience.
Our Approach
Our approach combined historical research, collaboration, and a deeply hands-on artistic process rooted in working with local Philadelphia artists, supported by studio production.
Aligning with interior design and architecture
The process began by reviewing mood boards and design references provided by the interior design team. These included:
- Gold palettes with references to opulence, drapery, and metallic finishes
- Red environments with gothic chandeliers, rich textures, and warmth
- Green spaces with earthy tones, velvet textures, and natural elements
- Blue environments with marble, reflective surfaces, and cool lighting
From there, the Creative Repute team researched Philadelphia landmarks that would align with each zone’s tone and story.
- Gold | Mastbaum Theatre
Built in the 1920s on the same site as Commerce Square, the Mastbaum Theatre was once considered one of the most lavish theaters of its time, known for its gold ceilings and grandeur. It became the foundation for the entry experience. - Red | Grace Baptist Church
Selected as a nod to Temple University, a Convene partner, Grace Baptist Church played a foundational role in the development of the university. Its architecture and ongoing use by Temple’s music programs made it a meaningful and relevant choice. - Green | Polett Walk (Temple University)
This campus walkway captures movement, green space, and student life. With elements like gates, a bell tower, and open pathways, it reflects transition and flow. - Blue | Academy of Music
The oldest continuously operating opera house in the United States, known for its chandeliers and refined interiors, aligned naturally with the blue zone’s elegance and material palette.
Process: from hand-drawn sketches to large-scale paintings on canvas
The creative process was intentionally analog and human.
- Each piece began as a hand-drawn ink illustration using pen and Sharpie
- Drawings were created in an intricate, comic-book-inspired style using line work, hatching, and contrast
- Rather than rendering every detail literally, the work used suggestive line techniques to capture form, light, and texture
These sketches were repeated over and over in colors, starting with the black layer, scanned and layered digitally, allowing abstract lines to build into fully realized compositions.
Concepts were presented to the client alongside reference images and interior design inspiration to ensure alignment before moving into production on the large scale 7” squared custom built canvas.
Studio production and team execution
Once approved, production scaled up into a full studio process.
- Large canvases were constructed and materials were sourced, including acrylic paints and metallic finishes
- The Creative Repute team partnered with a another client space, the Paul Robeson House and Museum to use as a temporary studio
- Studio hands from the Creative Repute team supported production, making this a collaborative effort
A projector system was used to translate the drawings onto the canvases, creating a detailed outline that resembled an intricate, abstract coloring system. The team then used a structured painting approach, similar to a paint-by-number system, to execute the work efficiently while maintaining quality and consistency.
Painting installation process
The painting installation process was carefully coordinated with Convene’s team.
- Canvases were sealed and finished prior to delivery
- Edges were painted black and hardware installed to support the weight and scale
- The team coordinated delivery through the loading dock
- Installation included locating wall studs, securing mounts, and ensuring each piece was level and centered
The Outcome
The final series of paintings on canvas is permanently installed within Convene’s Commerce Square location, where the work functions as both artwork and infrastructure.
The paintings:
- Support intuitive navigation through color-coded zones
- Reinforce a strong connection to Philadelphia’s cultural identity
- Enhance the interior design vision through seamless integration
- Create highly visual, Instagrammable moments that guests engage with and share
Guests frequently take photos with the artwork, tagging both the lead artist and the space, extending the reach of the environment beyond its physical walls.
Convene’s space has also been featured in national and global publications, further amplifying the impact of the work with the canvas painting central in circulated photos.
This project demonstrates how organizations can hire an artist through Creative Repute design agency, work with local creatives, and commission custom canvas painting to create meaningful, installations that elevate both brand and experience.
It also reflects Creative Repute’s ability to deliver paintings on canvas at scale, supported by a full team, from concept through installation.
If you’re exploring how to hire an artist in Philadelphia for your next project, we’d love to connect. 👉 Reach out to Creative Repute to start the conversation.
