Artists For Humanity (AFH), whose 23,500-square-foot Epicenter is Boston’s first LEED Platinum certified building, has combined its commitment to sustainability with its dedication to art and design — and ensured neither stops outside the restroom doors. The organization provides Boston teens with opportunities for creative expression, mentorship, and paid work experience on an array of client art and design projects, all while they prepare for college and their careers. Now, thanks to a partnership with Excel Dryer, AFH has installed first-of-their-kind XLERATOR® Hand Dryers customized with artwork designed by local teens in its facility bathrooms.
“When we learned about the amazing work AFH was doing, we saw a unique opportunity to collaborate with the organization’s teen artists to create custom covers for the XLERATOR® Hand Dryers and XChanger® Combo Kits in the facility’s restrooms,” said Joshua Griffing, director of marketing and international sales at Excel Dryer.
This project is the first time Excel Dryer has customized its XLERATOR® Hand Dryer beyond logos and custom images. By putting high resolution artwork files into a template and using digital image technology, Excel Dryer was able to transform the hand dryers into an extension of the masterpieces exhibited throughout the rest of the AFH building.
“The hand dryers look amazing, and visitors' hands are dry before they’re done admiring the artwork,” said Rich Frank, director of business development at AFH. “They look almost like cool sculptural pieces, but you can still tell they are hand dryers—just the coolest hand dryers you’ve ever seen. Plus, the dryers’ 100 percent ADA-compliant recess kits make the user experience welcoming and friendly and easy; it’s probably the best bathroom experience in Boston.”
Since 1991 AFH has grown to become the largest employer of high schoolers in the city. More than 350 AFH teens work collaboratively with adult artists/mentors to deliver captivating solutions for business, civic and community organizations.
“This was such an awesome partnership, working together and contributing ideas,” said Jason Talbot, co-founder and managing director of programs at AFH. “We didn’t know how beautiful the hand dryers would be, but when they we saw them, our eyes were popping out of our heads. It was the talk of the building; everybody was super excited to have the works of art helping us dry our hands and keeping everybody healthy.”
The unique designs created by the nine student artists are available exclusively through Excel Dryer. A percentage of the proceeds from their sale will be donated to Artists for Humanity.
The high-speed, energy-efficient XLERATOR® Hand Dryer with electrostatic HEPA filtration dries hands in as little as eight seconds. Made in the United States, it uses 80 percent less energy than conventional hand dryers and offers up to a 75 percent carbon footprint reduction when compared to paper towels. It is Building Green approved and helps contribute toward WELL points and several LEED credits.
“A 2023 test by LMS Technologies determined the HEPA filtration systems on our XLERATOR® Hand Dryers remove 99.999 percent of viruses and 99.97 percent of bacteria from the airstream,” said Griffing. “And, by eliminating labor, maintenance and waste, the dryers offer a 95 percent cost savings over paper towels. For a space like AFH where artists are getting their hands dirty and washing up is an active part of their day, this is a great solution. It’s also exciting for the teens to see their artwork featured in such an unexpected and energetic way.”