From the 115,000 square foot facility located in the rolling hills of Kentucky, DecoArt manufactures one of the broadest lines of acrylic paints and finishes in the world – paints and finishes that are widely known throughout the Craft, Fine Art and Do-It-Yourself markets.

The journey began in 1985 as a division of Ceramichrome,  a manufacturer of molds, glazes and specialty finishes for the ceramics industry. Word started to spread among the arts and crafts community, that the ceramics branded acrylic color, later known as our flagship product – Americana, was better than all of the other offerings on the market. This word-of-mouth campaign happened even without the aid of modern social media!

In 1988, our President, Stan Clifford, cemented Americana’s legacy of being the number one acrylic paint used by teaching artists.  Stan felt that getting the paint in the hands of these teachers and influencers free of charge was the key to success.   His thinking paid off in decades of loyal consumers and advocates and formed the Helping Artist Program which is over 4,000 members strong today and providing support through product for classes and paying for publications that mention any DecoArt branded products.  This company philosophy spurred the formation of the Blogger Outreach Program in 2010 as a way to make a connection with the major online influencers in the craft and DIY spheres. The Blogger Outreach program has grown to over 700 members and continues to grow exponentially.

In 1997, the company’s name was officially changed to DecoArt, Inc. with Stan Clifford as leader of this dynamic organization and the Americana line being the leader of acrylic paint industry.   In 2015 DecoArt

In 2015, DecoArt opened a Creative Center in Lexington, KY. This Creative Hub allowed for Sales, Product Development, Marketing and Design Staff to have a state of the art space to creative state of the art projects, products and ideas.

In 2016, the company expanded its footprint once again by opening an 88,000 square foot Distribution Facility in Danville, Kentucky. It is in Danville that our team meets our consumer demands and ships our more than 3000 products around the globe.

“Most people are quite surprised when I tell them that all of our products are formulated, bottled, labeled and shipped right here in Kentucky. It makes me proud to be able to offer so many employment opportunities within the small community – and now in the surrounding communities – and to manufacture a product that is made in the USA,” says President Stan Clifford.

So, we obviously know paint manufacturing but we also know this: between opening a bottle of our paint and finishing a project, lives an experience. It’s this experience that now drives us forward and has come to define our new company culture. In the hectic pace of our customer’s life, it is our belief that their “me time” is as fulfilling and rewarding as possible.

Looking towards the future we recognize the importance of holding tight to the values that have gotten us to today but we also need to expand our thinking to include a road map that will help us transition into a growing business of tomorrow.

Throughout our organization we have intentionally defined a culture that aligns our worker’s experience with our customer’s experience.  We have embraced an opportunity driven, employee-focused culture which stemmed from a philosophy already in place and echoed in the motto of our dedicated staff, “you gotta have the want to”.

Our whole industry is driven by passionate makers. If we don’t have that same passion and “want to” while we are developing, making, marketing and selling our paints, then we are doing a disservice to our consumers. If we don’t foster and reward that drive in the workplace, we are doing a disservice to our employees.

“I feel honored to have been at the helm of this company as it has grown beyond just being the manufacturer of Americana. We have quite a few employees who have been here from the beginning and it is a combination of their dedication and knowledge and the passion and energy from those who have joined our expanding workforce over the last few years, that will see DecoArt continue to make a large impact on the arts and crafts industry.”

Whether a crafter, a painter, a do-it-yourselfer, or a DecoArt employee, we are all connected by the urge, the drive, and the need to create. Why?  Because we’re all “made to make”.

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DecoArt is Proud to support the Alonzo King LINES Ballet. For more information and to purchase tickets, Click Here.