Timothy Westbrook working in The Pfister's studio.

Perhaps you’ll recall a post of mine from a few months back about the search for the next Pfister Hotel Artist in Residence. Well, the lucky artist was selected and has now been set up in the hotel for about a month.

Timothy Westbrook is a talented, young fiber artist from upstate New York who made the big move to pursue the Pfister’s residency. If you have not met him, you should make your way to The Pfister and check out his work, which is primarily crafted from recycled materials such as cassette tape (and even The Pfister’s retired bedsheets!).

Here’s a great feature segment from CBS 58 on Timothy and the artist-in-residence program.

We at Z2 are huge fans of The Pfister Hotel—not only because it’s a client of ours, but also because it is just such a darn amazing place. One of our favorite projects we work on with the hotel is its Artist-in-Residence program. I mean, how many hotels do you know of that have an artist creating work right on site?

The hotel is currently in the process of selecting its next great artist. This year’s finalists are Pamela Anderson; Matt Duckett; Albin Erhart; Hal Koenig; Brandon Minga; and Timothy Westbrook. Now the public will help choose the next artist.

Beginning this evening, you can visit The Pfister’s website and Facebook page to vote for the artist you’d like to see as the next artist in residence. Votes can also be cast via Twitter (#ArtistInResidence). Voting will end Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012, and the selection committee will announce the next artist in residence soon thereafter. The public vote will equate to one seat on the selection committee, influencing the final decision.

If you’d like to check out work by the six finalists, head down to Gallerie M, inside InterContinental Milwaukee, for January Gallery Night, taking place this evening. You can cast your vote right there! And don’t forget to stop by The Pfister to say hello to The Pfister’s current artist Shelby Keefe, as she hosts her final Gallery Night in the space. Stick around The Pfister afterward for a fun reception and live entertainment. Hope to see you there!

Last week we celebrated another year with our “z2 inspired Holiday Party” which included a 5-course breakfast at The Pfister Hotel, followed by a train ride to Chicago for a bit of shopping before heading out to Moto in Chicago for a 15-course meal (yes, I said 15!) that included 9 savory dishes, 6 desserts, and edible paper and ink along the way.

And the chefs? You may have seen Richie Farina and Chris Jones on Top Chef: Texas. Yeah, those were our chefs…

It was definitely an experience to be remembered. A big thanks goes out to Cory and Deb from all the Z2 staff for this one.

Happy Holidays everyone! :)

Our friends at The Pfister Hotel are in competition with the folks over at Koss in a Battle of the Brands… and to help them out, we made a little video featuring Charles Pfister as you’ve never seen him before.

So with all that, please head over to The Business Journal and cast your vote for The Pfister!

Charles thanks you. :)

In short, the Narrator program runs like this. We put out a call for entries, local writers apply for the position and a selection committee picks from a pool of applicants the candidate they feel is most worthy of the job. The chosen ‘narrator’ then spends a specified amount of time in the hotel’s lobby and other public spaces, interviewing visitors and guests and sharing their stories on the Pfister’s blog. The blog and stories are subsequently promoted through The Pfister’s social media outlets, like Twitter and Facebook.

The creation of the Pfister Narrator program works well for the hotel for several reasons. Not only does it show The Pfister’s support for the local art community, which also is seen through its Artist in Residence program, but it also serves as an innovative marketing and social media strategy to drive traffic to the blog. What’s more, the stories shared through the program further develop the unique experiences only The Pfister Hotel can provide its guests.

The Pfister Narrator program is a great example of how a company can use social media in a smart way, while incorporating it seamlessly into an existing brand. Think outside the box. How can your company do the same?