awards for arts achievement

The Principal Financial Group is a diversified financial services organization headquartered in Des Moines, IA. This Fortune 500 company has 15,000 employees worldwide and serves 18.8 million customers across the globe from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States.  The Principal Financial Group's long history of supporting the arts dates back to the 1930s when it commissioned major art works during the construction of its new headquarters in Des Moines. The company encourages art appreciation not only in the workplace but supports the arts as a key component of viable communities.

In 1985, the company established an extensive corporate art collection—now nearly 750 pieces—to promote creativity in the workplace and introduce new ideas. The works are featured prominently throughout the company's buildings and regularly rotated to provide new views to employees throughout the year. Employees who take a six-week art docent training program for the collection conduct some 50 tours each year, sharing their passion for art and knowledge of the collection with others. Each October, The Principal Financial Group joins the Business Committee for the Arts in celebrating art@work, a month-long national celebration of creative expression that connects employees with creative outlets and community arts organizations.

Locally, The Principal Financial Group is committed to making the communities where it operates great places to live, work, and play. This includes supporting programs that celebrate cultural diversity and making the arts more accessible to all audiences through grants, employee involvement, and urban renewal. The Principal Financial Group conceived The Principal Riverwalk in downtown Des Moines to tie together numerous amenities that line the river's bank, creating one cohesive riverfront experience with leisure and recreation venues, gardens, and public art, all of which are leading to revitalization of downtown as a destination.

J. Barry Griswell, chairman of The Principal Financial Group, serves as chairman for the Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) and helped establish its annual honors, The BCA Ten: Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America.