For the Love of Humanity: Why Heidi Johnson Bixby Gives to the Arts - 📍 Vancouver, WA

Heidi Johnson Bixby is one of her community’s most generous arts philanthropists. But why does she give so much funding to the creative sector when her world is financial planning and money management? Find out why her love of her community (and of “pretty things”) moves her to keep creativity thriving - and what she’s wishing for Vancouver’s future.

👀 For pictures of Heidi’s art collection and to learn more about Johnson Bixby, visit the episode page.

Transcript

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Adriana: 0:49

There are some people in our community who are completely behind the scenes of making creativity happen. We don't really see them, but without them, so much of what we experience in our cultural community, so much art, so many events, just wouldn't be possible. These are the people who give their time, talent, or treasure, and sometimes all three. They're the board members, the volunteers. They're the sponsors. They're the philanthropists. Heidi Johnson-Bixby is one of these people. For the love of her community, Heidi and her financial planning and portfolio management firm, Johnson Bixby, are known as some of the most important and most beloved sponsors of arts and culture in Vancouver and Southwest Washington. Today's episode is part of a year-long sponsorship by Johnson Bixby of the work we do here on I'm Into This Place. I'm so honored to be able to introduce you to the woman who buys art everywhere she can, whose eclectic taste is based on both aesthetics and story, who inspires so many people with means to give back, and who really, truly loves this place and the people in it. Heidi Johnson-Bixby Welcome to I'm Into This Place, your deep dive into the local arts, culture, and heritage of Clark County. From fabulous new restaurants to quirky art installations to the historical sites you never even knew to look for, we're inviting you along. Whether you're a Clark County connoisseur or just starting to get to know her, get ready to fall head over heels for this place we call home. I'm your host, Adriana Baer, and I'm into this place. Let's go. Heidi, thank you for welcoming me to your beautiful offices.

Heidi: 2:56

Yes, welcome.

Adriana: 2:58

There's so much art around on all of the walls here, and I can't wait to talk to you a little bit more about that today. But there are so many people who love and have their lives improved by creativity and art, but not everyone chooses to financially support the creative sector in their community, and you really do. In fact, I first learned about Johnson Bixby by seeing your logo as a leading sponsor of the Vancouver Arts and Music Festival.

Heidi: 3:27

Yes.

Adriana: 3:28

So you're known throughout our region as a huge supporter of the arts, and I wanna go back a little bit to find out what art means to you. What is the definition of art for you when you're thinking about it?

Heidi: 3:43

So when I think of what I consider art, a lot of people will think of a painting or a sculpture, photography that might be in a museum, and for me, it's a lot more subtle than that. It's everything about how you make a space feel comfortable. It's a well-laid-out brochure or even, uh, the perfect color of paint on the wall. The definition of art for me is that overall experience that comes in a lot of forms.

Adriana: 4:14

Oh, that's interesting.

Heidi: 4:16

I was recently reading a book, Your Brain on Art, and it talks about the neuroaesthetics of how surroundings impact your mood, cognition, and even behavior. So that detail of how art and space matters, the color, the layout, the feel, science backs that up. Art is something I, I really deeply feel.

Adriana: 4:38

Mm. I love that. Where do you think your love of art came from? Like, what f- was that initial spark?

Heidi: 4:47

I would say I'm not an artist. I would say I'm creative, I'm intuitive, but, uh, and I am a photographer. That's probably the closest that I get. But w- when I thought about this, I, I realized that growing up, I was exposed to arts and crafts, um, music, dance. Like, I was exposed to all of those things, and that is why I even think about kids these days, how much of that do they have an opportunity to do arts and crafts or experience with different forms of art or dance? Because to me, it was just, it was included. It was just part of me growing up, and I came to appreciate that- Mm and have always kept it as part of who I am.

Adriana: 5:30

Mm. Yeah, that exposure piece, you don't know what you don't know.

Heidi: 5:36

Mm-hmm. And in hindsight, I am extremely grateful. And recognizing the influence of my mom did interior design, was more of an artist. My dad's an architect. And again, I'm not those things, but I was surrounded with questions of creativity. Like fun for us was to go to a subdivision being built and, and walking through the house and imagining what the rooms were. Like so creativity has always been a part of us growing up.

Adriana: 6:03

Oh, that's so cool. I love that. On the surface, financial planning and advising doesn't necessarily seem artistic.

Heidi: 6:14

Mm-hmm.

Adriana: 6:14

But you are extremely creative in your work, and so are the people who work with you here at Johnson Bixby, and your company really values creativity.

Heidi: 6:24

Financial empowerment-

Adriana: 6:26

Mm-hmm… Heidi: which is what we're about- And when people have stability, they can go beyond the basics, and that might be travel. It might be investing in their community and being philanthropic. But without that financial stability, it's hard to think beyond the basic needs. And so for me, having reached a level of not only stability personally, but with the firm, like the firm's been around for 40 years, and the stability of a firm that is here to stay is investing in its team members, investing in the community. That stability is what provides us the opportunity to then give back to the community. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Do you think of the work that you do on the day-to-day as creative?

Heidi: 7:32

Completely. When people think about financial planning or investing, they think that there's an answer. And I will tell you, any two clients sitting in front of me with the exact same profile, age, assets, they will have two very different answers because the creativity is customizing the advice to what's important to that person. And so for me, the creativity is the puzzle piece of how do we use what someone has, which is the technical side. Financial planning is an art and a science because it's the technical side of all the information we have to know. But what comes to life is that art side of it, that creativity of how do we, how do we use what we have to make the most of it impactful for this person, what's of value to them, and what their goals in life are? Which again, same picture, same statistics, same technical, but we might do something completely different because their goals and values are completely different. So that's the fun part.

Adriana: 8:38

Yeah.

Heidi: 8:40

I think a big part of artists, too, they are creating something that's in their mind, and there is a piece of being an artist where you have to not care what everyone thinks because not everyone's gonna love what you do. And there's a piece of resilience that is built as part of that. But I think the same is true in financial planning for us, that the advice we give is very specific to that person, and what we're hoping is that they aren't comparing themselves to whoever they're comparing themselves to, and that they know that they have the decisions and the information for them to make a future for their choices, their goals.

Adriana: 9:24

So let's talk about supporting arts and culture.

Heidi: 9:26

Yeah.

Adriana: 9:27

So you've donated quite a lot to the sector. I wanna know why that's of such a high value for you.

Heidi: 9:35

I like pretty things.

Adriana: 9:37

What a great answer.

Heidi: 9:39

I, I really do physically respond to the space that I'm in, and so I, I want to walk down the streets in downtown Vancouver and see art. I want a mural on the wall. I want something to walk by and make me smile. I want something to walk by and remember the forebearers before us. I, I want to feel connected And to me, that's what art does in a lot of different forms.

Adriana: 10:10

Much of your work really does center in and around downtown Vancouver. What have you seen or are you currently seeing that makes you want to continue supporting the creative community here, specifically where we are?

Heidi: 10:26

Several of downtown Vancouver's public art sculptures are tied directly to the city's history, and I think that's really important, 'cause we have a lot of new people coming in. It's a great place to live. But whether that's the indigenous heritage or the pioneer settlement and the Columbia River or our industrial past- Mm-hmm… like even with the waterfront now, that it's Vancouver's public art scene that is interesting and many of the pieces were intentionally created not just as decoration but as storytelling landmarks. And so you think of the Esther Short or the Salmon Run Bell Tower with the glockenspiel or the Heart of Stone that is to honor the founding mothers of Vancouver, or Turtle Place comes from the indigenous history here.

Adriana: 11:15

Mm-hmm.

Heidi: 11:16

Even Ana Gabriela's painting of the overpass, like, to see the dogs that would pass by, you know, worked into the painting as she did it, I mean, like, that makes me smile every time I see it.

Adriana: 11:30

I think it's really interesting how you're identifying both an aesthetic component and also a history and community engagement component to what's really sparking for you, that what you're seeing in our community is high-quality artworks- Mm-hmm … but with a story behind them, that not a single piece is taken kind of in isolation or without that cultural context.

Heidi: 11:57

Yeah. You don't have to have entrance. Art is free. And I think that access of having a sense of place just by walking past a building is really important.

Adriana: 12:09

So let's talk about the art that I'm seeing around us here in the office. Where does it all come from?

Heidi: 12:15

A lot of places. I would say the two main places are local artists, so I'm often stopping in galleries or at a fair or something. Not necessarily people that I know, I just like it. So that's how I get it. And the other big chunk is from travel. No matter where we are, art can connect us, and it's also one of those things where even if I'm in a country that doesn't speak English, you have a shared beauty through art. Art is a way to tell a story, to have a shared connection, even if you don't share a language.

Adriana: 12:53

Do you feel like the art being present in your actual office- affects or changes the way that people work here?

Heidi: 13:06

Yes, definitely. And I say that because it is probably the number one consistent comment that I get from clients coming through. Like, I, I'm at the end of a hall, and so they have to walk past people and art on the wall, and it's a slow walk. They're, they're checking out the art, and they're looking at, "Look at this." I mean, it's, it's close up, so they can see it and touch it and feel it. The team members feel the same way. I have bought very specific pieces for a team member- Mm … because it's what reflects their personality, and some people care more than others, but that's important to me that someone's workspace is a reflection of who they are. And so that's another reason there's quite a bit of different art. It doesn't, it doesn't really even go together necessarily.

Adriana: 13:58

What are your hopes for the arts in our region or, or even just in our local community, both now and into the future? And I know this is a really big question.

Heidi: 14:10

I've been fortunate to travel a lot of places, and there's a phrase I often use that I don't want Vancouver to be my world, but I love that it's my home. I think that thriving communities aren't just built on infrastructure and economics. They're built on creativity. They're built on connection. And so for people to have access to that arts and culture, they're more engaged, they're more resilient, and they're more connected. They have reason to come together at Esther Short Park for a concert. They have reason to come together and see dance from a different culture that they're not aware of, and that is something that connects us. So I hope that people architecting the future of Vancouver integrate that into their plans to have spaces to gather that have public art. Um, and I'd like to see less beige.

Adriana: 15:07

You heard it here first, folks. Heidi wants less beige. I wanna kind of tease out just for a moment something that you said a number of times in this conversation, which is about the community piece, the being together in real space- Mm-hmm … in shared experiences, even if what that means is you're one or two people looking at a piece of public art, but that piece of public art is inside of the community container. And you and I have discussed the origins of the word philanthropist. Mm-hmm. Which means a love of humanity.

Heidi: 15:49

Yes.

Adriana: 15:50

It sounds like for you, there's a really big piece of this which is a love of our shared humanity, of our shared community, of our shared experiences, kind of in, in this place where we live.

Heidi: 16:05

Mm-hmm. Ken Burns is, uh, I'm gonna paraphrase what he said, but says, "You need to know that one plus one is two when building a house, an airplane, or a bridge. But in our life's work, we actually are looking for the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts." And to me, adding art to our community is doing just that. I feel like art is one of the few experiences that connects intellect and emotion at the same time, because it helps us make meaning of our history, our experiences, and where we're going next. And for me, investing in our community is giving people that experience.

Adriana: 16:46

And it's interesting to really consider what it's like to think about something like money management- Mm-hmm which can seem so straightforward, and so black and white, and so not artistic-

Heidi: 17:02

Yeah… Adriana: on the surface, and look at it lens, and, and a community-centered lens. And what is revealed from that is greater impact- Yeah… Adriana: and a bigger ripple effect. Yes. And I, I feel so fortunate, because we have a number of clients who are philanthropic. And so we get to help facilitate that, and help them be creative about how they do that, which isn't a name on a building. Often it's a subtle, you know, funding a scholarship or sending kids to an art program. It's a, it can look a number of different ways, but that's really a privilege that we get to do.

Adriana: 17:45

Heidi, it was so great to hear from you today and to talk to you about what it means to be on the supporting side of the creative community. So thank you for y- your support of all the amazing arts and culture in town, and I can't wait to see you at the next event.

Heidi: 18:03

And thank you. I appreciate the questions, and I appreciate the work that you're doing,'cause I am into this place, too.

Adriana: 18:13

I'm Into This Place is produced and edited by me, Adriana Baer. Engineering by Sean Lee Martin. Special thanks today to the entire team at Johnson Bixby for their generous support and hospitality. You can learn more about their work at johnsonbixby.com. If you're interested in partnering with us to support arts and culture through a sponsorship, please check out our website at imintothisplace.com and reach out. Together, we can make sure our cultural community thrives