BLICK Art Materials

Why Pick Blick?

At Blick, we’re committed to delivering the very best experience for our customers — the best prices, the best service, the best selection, the best availability, and the best knowledge. We call this The Blick Advantage.

Best Prices

Blick scours competitive ads and websites to make sure you save money ordering from us. If you find a lower advertised price, we’ll match it. Because of Blick’s unmatched purchasing power, our buyers find the best values, and then pass those savings on to our customers. Our buyers also source products from around the world to sell under the Blick brand name — assuring even more value for your money.

Best Service

Our long-standing business motto — "Blick Ships Quick" — embodies our commitment to getting our customers what they want, when they want it. We have real people answering the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and our automated picking equipment allows us to process most orders within 24 hours (with no additional rush charges). We also pride ourselves on making very few mistakes. We know problems waste your time, so when we cause one, we do everything in our power to make things right.

Best Selection

We know that being creative often requires materials that are difficult to find. That’s why Blick stocks more than 80,000 products in its warehouse, and offers nearly 15,000 factory-direct items and more than 8,000 Blick and Utrecht brand items.

Best Availability

Our massive inventory means we should always have what you need in stock. If we don’t, that’s our fault, not yours. That’s why we do something virtually none of our competitors do — we NEVER cancel a backorder unless you ask us to, and when we receive your backordered item, we ship it out immediately — at NO additional cost to you.

Best Knowledge

Our sales staff and product information specialists are trained to hunt down answers to your tough questions regarding materials, techniques, and safety. Hundreds of Blick videos are also available at DickBlick.com and on YouTube.com, including video lesson plans for teachers, and product demonstrations for artists.

Blick’s Culture

Achieving our Mission depends on having engaged associates across the company. We strive to nurture a culture of trust, mutual respect, and an entrepreneurial commitment to our Mission. Blick works to foster an environment where associates enjoy the same respect and care we have provided to our customers for more than 100 years.

To fulfill our Mission, our unique culture is designed to attract and develop associates based on the following principles:

1. Exceptional Teamwork: Our Mission is dependent on supporting each other with the same passion that we exhibit to our customers. Trust, mutual accountability, and respect are the foundation of how we work with one another, just as they are key to creating superior customer experiences.
2. Boundless Curiosity: We have an obligation to ask questions and seek answers. Policies that do not serve customers or associates properly should be challenged. The principle of Curiosity requires that we ask why, as opposed to accepting an incomplete understanding.
3. Utmost Care: We aspire to address customer and associate questions completely and with reasonable explanations. It takes Care to do research, and patience to explain the underlying reasons. There will never be complete consensus about decisions or policies, but there must be understanding. As a business, we are always adapting to changing conditions. Our unique expression of Care enables positive, timely change.
4. Supporting Art: Ultimately, we are about supporting the creation of Art. Because the Visual Art Community is often less recognized than it should be, our associates take pleasure in providing meaningful support for art and art education.

Commitment to our Customers

At BLICK Art Materials we're determined to make the customer experience easy, enjoyable, and productive. Our customer satisfaction ratings - consistently the highest in the industry - are achieved by providing the largest, most comprehensive selection of products and the highest level of customer service possible. Equally important, we monitor our prices every single day to make sure they remain competitive.

Commitment to the Arts

Blick believes in supporting the arts in all its forms. In recognition of this commitment, the Business Committee of Americans for the Arts honored Blick CEO Robert Buchsbaum with its Leadership Award in October 2016. As the nation’s leading non-profit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, Americans for the Arts recognized Buchsbaum and other 2016 honorees for their “extraordinary vision, leadership, and commitment to supporting the arts and for encouraging other businesses to follow their lead.”

Blick is proud to support the National Art Education Association, the Arts Action Fund (a non-profit organization affiliated with Americans for the Arts), the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the National Art Materials Trade Association, and Marwen, a non-profit dedicated to educating and inspiring under-served young people through the visual arts.

Commitment to our Community

Blick believes that art education develops the human creativity necessary to solve the world's complex problems, enrich its culture, and provide fulfillment for its inhabitants. Our entire organization supports awareness in the creative community at the local and national level, both financially and by providing materials that emphasize the benefits of art education. Ways we do that include:

- Sponsoring scholastic, collegiate, and professional art shows
- Hosting in-store events within the communities we serve
- Sponsoring local schools, art leagues, and community groups across the country

A mural commemorating Blick's 100 Year Anniversary is given to the city of Galesburg, Illinois - 2011

"Our success is directly linked to commitment - to our customers, our employees and our community."

BLICK Art Materials is now in its third generation. As a privately held company, Blick's management isn't driven by a requirement to provide quarterly earnings reports to outside individuals or entities. Instead, our shareholders focus on long-term profitability rather than short-term gains, a philosophy that has ensured consistent growth and leadership in our industry.

While financial stability and profits are important (Blick has never reported an annual loss in its 100-year history), our owners recognize that the company must have a positive influence on its customers and employees in order to succeed and thrive. As a result, Blick offers unlimited opportunities and prides itself on consistently promoting from within to build a strong management team.

Career Opportunities at Blick

BLICK Art Materials has achieved phenomenal growth, longevity, and industry leadership from the mid- 20th century to the present because we have stayed true to our founding principles, such as:

- providing our customers with the best service, selection, product quality, and pricing;
- creating a climate that calls forth the best in every employee; and
- capitalizing on emerging technologies and opportunities for growth.

At Blick, a unique opportunity for professional development includes:

- learning about every area of the business;
- having significant contact with senior management;
- learning state-of-the-art technology;
- experiencing proven stability;
- directly influencing company performance; and
- enjoying an outstanding benefits package.