Minted Announces its First Major Retail Partnership, Crowd-Sources Wall Art Collection for West Elm

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Minted (www.minted.com), the online marketplace for independent design and West Elm, the home furnishing retailer, today launched a partnership to sell Minted crowd-sourced art prints at West Elm stores nationwide and on www.westelm.com.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131015/SF97472)

This is the first major retail partnership for crowd-sourcing pioneer, Minted. This is also the first content licensing partnership for Minted. Minted sourced and licensed the art to West Elm, who manufactured and marketed the final product.

The two companies launched the Minted + West Elm Wall Art Challenge only a few weeks after meeting at West Elm's Brooklyn headquarters. Within another two weeks, artists from around the world had submitted more than 1,400 works of art via Minted's crowd-sourcing platform. As with all Minted challenges, the winners were selected by the public's vote and the winning artists will earn a commission on every sale. West Elm's creative team hand-picked 25 of those winners to be produced and sold by West Elm. The winning works include photography, graphic patterns, and painterly landscapes.

"West Elm and Minted share a passion for discovering and supporting exciting independent artists," said Minted CEO and founder Mariam Naficy. "I am thrilled to introduce Minted's talented community artists to more consumers through the West Elm brand."

"Our Minted collaboration provides us with a great opportunity to continue to support and elevate independent artists," said Jim Brett, West Elm President. "The Minted community and crowd-sourcing platform has helped us curate a beautiful collection that we're confident our customers will love."

The framed wall art is priced from $59 to $199 and is offered in ready-to-hang formats in a variety of frame colors. West Elm encourages customers to create their own collections by piecing together their favorite works into a gallery wall.

Rose Lindo, a winning artist who lives in Austin, Texas has her work "Man Meets Nature" for sale at West Elm.  "Being from a teeny town in Oklahoma that recently got its first grocery store, it's mind-blowing and humbling that my work is now sold by a major American brand," said Lindo. "West Elm has an aesthetic that inspires me."

25 Winning Works:

• A Vivid Fade, by Naomi Ernest from Ann Arbor, MI
• amarillo sunrise, by Miranda Lyn Bassett from San Marcos, TX
• Apertures, by Genna Cowsert from Ferndale, MI
• Autumn Obscura, by Naomi Ernest from Ann Arbor, MI
• Blue Moon Over Mountains, by A Little Big Picture from Chicago, IL 
• Boating, by Katherine Moynagh from Berwyn, PA
• Candy Coated, by HAPI ART AND PATTERN from Chicago, IL
• Desert Diptych, by annie clark from San Francisco, CA
• Field Sketch, by Keen Peachy from Toledo, OH
• forest for the trees, by Lindsay Megahed from Schaumburg, IL
• Harmony in Chaos, by Oscar & Emma from Columbus, OH
• Highland Cows, by Amy Carroll from Grand Rapids, MI
• Man Meets Nature, by Rose Lindo from Austin, TX
• Mineral, by Kelly Ventura from Pinckney, MI
• Nishna 1, by Moglea from Audubon, IA
• Nishna 2, by Moglea from Audubon, IA
• Ocean + Fog, by Jess Taich from San Francisco, CA
• Rome or Bust, by HUNT GATHER from San Francisco, CA
• Succulents Observation, by Kate Wong from Santa Clara, CA
• Sunset, by Jen Chen from New York, NY
• Swift Fox, by Natalie Groves from Brayton, IA
• The Rapids, by Rose Lindo from Austin, TX
• Vintage Books, by That Girl Studio from St. Charles, IL
• Waterscape Color Block, by Christy from Farmington, MN
• Weathered Stripes, by Lindsay Megahed from Schaumburg, IL

About Minted:
Minted is an online marketplace for independent design and art, crowd-sourcing graphic designs and art from a global design community and selling those as premium printed products focused on the $10 billion stationery market, the $48 billion wall art market, and the $7 billion party décor market. Investors include Benchmark Capital, Menlo Ventures, IDG Ventures SF, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman.

All designs and art featured on Minted are sourced through design competitions and curated by the community. The company holds ongoing competitions, giving designers and artists the opportunity to submit their work. Those voted to the top are sold on the site. Designers earn cash prizes and commissions on all their sales.

Minted has radically transformed what consumers now expect in holiday cards, wedding invitations, framed art, party décor, and other personal stationery. Minted's fresh, unique designs have been featured on The Today Show and The Early Show, and in Real Simple, Town & Country, InStyle, Martha Stewart Weddings, Food & Wine and other major national magazines.

About West Elm

Mixing clean lines, natural textures and handcrafted collections from the US and around the globe, West Elm creates unique, affordable designs for modern living. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, the brand introduced its first catalog in 2002 and opened the doors of its first retail location in 2003. The brand's complete collection of modern furniture and room décor, including modern dinnerware, wall shelves, and modern bedding is available in 55 retail stores in the United States, Canada and Australia, and around-the-clock at www.westelm.com. West Elm is part of an active community on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram and a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands.

SOURCE Minted