Facebook is one of many large businesses that sees the value of investing in the global community’s arts ecosystem and is increasing its commitment to visual art and public art installations worldwide. To date, Facebook has commissioned 500 art installations, with 200 more planned this year. Additionally, recent hires made to support these efforts include the hiring of Tina Vaz, former deputy director for global communications at the Guggenheim Foundation and now the head of Facebook’s artist-in-residency program.

Vaz works alongside Jennie Lamensdorf, who runs the Art-in-Buildings program for the real estate firm Time Equities, bringing contemporary art by emerging artists to non-traditional exhibition spaces in order to promote artists and expand the audience for art. Vaz notes, “As a community of builders and a catalyst for connection, Facebook has much to contribute to the global dialogue about the vital role art of art in advancing ideas and innovation.”

“Bringing in experienced leaders from the contemporary art world is exciting, because it will help deepen [Facebook’s] connection to the arts community, strengthen the reputation of the program as a whole, and allow us to reach new and emerging artists with whom we can collaborate,” a representative from Facebook says. “We are particularly focused on expanding into more public art programs and partnerships this year and these new hires will better enable us to do that.”