You can never go wrong when you reach out and make a connection with the arts community. Whether you’re looking to strengthen creative pathways in your brain to help you solve problems in new and innovative ways, or you want to see things with a new perspective, giving yourself and your team the opportunity to flex those creative muscles helps you grow, thrive and become more resilient in an ever-changing world.
And there are many ways to make these connections – by having an artist lead a team-building exercise, inviting an artist into your space for a residency or a commission, hosting a staff event/outing at a gallery or other cultural institution, or by volunteering your own skills to help the arts community thrive.
Not sure where to start? Considering your next arts connection? Browse through these ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Bring the Arts In
Here are some connections we’ve fostered, and some examples of great initiatives elsewhere.
- Have some extra space for use? Find a way to invite the arts community in. Perhaps that space can be used as a writing room, or a rehearsal space for music, or theatre.
- Have a “Creativity Moment” with your team.
- Buy local, handmade gifts and awards. We can help you find what you’re looking for, and a good place to start is our annual Holiday Gift Guide.
- Commission artworks, just like Three Sisters, Mini St. John’s, Mary Brown’s, Genesis Centre, and Emera Innovation Exchange did.
- Come up with a win-win artist opportunity that also drives your brand, like the Genesis GV80 Art Car partnership with Genesis St. John’s.
- Start a company-wide book club like this one at Hero Digital , or an employee art gallery like this one at Mailchimp.
- Plan some team-building activities, like team painting, instant choir, empathy through storytelling, effective communication through creative writing, or confidence and communication through movement.
- Hire actors for a customer service simulation.
- Create an artist residency (for inspiration check out these ones at Planet, D2L, Broad Institute, European Space Agency, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and Facebook)
Connect with the Community
We’re available to tailor experiences according to your needs.
- Take a staff outing and have a hands-on experience in a cultural institution.
- Volunteer your skills to improve the arts sector.
- Join or create an initiative that brings individuals from the private sector, students, entrepreneurs, and artists together to brainstorm solutions to big problems together.
- Attend an event. We host regular events for our members from the private and creative sectors. Join us and leave inspired and connected. Or perhaps you’d like to host an event.
- Gain leadership skills, learn about governance, and consider joining a board (available later in 2022).
Help us make an impact, and demonstrate your commitment to the community.
Sponsor an annual program to help us strengthen the capacity of the arts sector and build meaningful relationships between arts and business in our province.
- Business Workshops for Artists features monthly workshops on a wide range of topics to help artists and arts organizations gain skills and knowledge to run their businesses.
- Grow to Lead Mentorship Program matches leaders in the arts community with leaders in the private sector to work together for 10 months and learn together.
- Our Holiday Gift Guide features the work of over 50 NL artists each year, and annually helps 2000+ customers to shop local and handmade from small arts businesses across the province.
- The Art Cart spends the summer in downtown St. John’s, and provides an opportunity for smaller arts businesses to find new customers.
- Come Play with Me Public Pianos. These pianos can be seen in public spaces across the province, and are available to passersby to create moments of creativity and connection.
This list manages to scratch the surface of ways in which the arts and business communities can partner for big impacts; for teams, for employees, for artists, and for the community and cultural life of this province.
Whether you’re interested in dipping a toe into a first partnership, or you want to do something bigger and bolder than ever, we can help connect you to the right artist for the job. Reach out!
See something you might like to adapt for your team? Contact Amy @ ahenderson@businessandartsnl.com.
