The suite and club levels of Lambeau Field "now are adorned with more than 500 works of art commemorating one of the NFL's oldest franchises," according to a front-page piece by Richard Ryman of the GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE. The artwork, "curated by specialty company Sports & The Arts, includes oil and acrylic paintings, textile works, prints, drawings, photographs and more in as many styles." Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy: "It allows us to celebrate our history and tradition in a different way." Ryman notes Sports & The Arts "spent two years compiling the collection, working with 19 artists and photo collections" from the Packers and other sources. Nine of the artists "have Wisconsin connections." The Green Bay Press-Gazette provided "many photos." Packers Dir of Brand & Marketing Joan Malcheski said that team officials "combed through more than 10,000 negatives to select 350 images for display at Lambeau Field." With it being displayed on the suite and club levels, the artwork is "not available to other fans on a regular basis." Some of the work "will be seen by fans as part of stadium tours." Sports & The Arts also has work in venues including Yankee Stadium and Levi's Stadium (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 7/20).
FIRE UP THE GRILL: The Packers held a ribbon cutting this morning for the new Johnsonville Tailgate Village, a permanent building in Lambeau Field’s east parking lot. The $23M facility spans more than 13,000 square feet and is fully conditioned. Packers concessionaire Delaware North Sportservice runs the food operation at a venue that is open to all fans on game days and is available for special events when the Packers are not playing at the stadium. Murphy said Johnsonville, an existing team sponsor, paid for naming rights to the building, a multiyear agreement on par with Lambeau’s gate sponsors. Those deals are believed to be in the low seven figures annually (Don Muret, Staff Writer).
