2022 Annual Report Highlights
While the past couple of years have presented a number of challenges, the local arts and business communities have shown us how to be innovative, resilient and resourceful and deal with them head-on. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats and when it comes to a community that embraces collaboration and mutual support, we couldn’t be in better company.
Here at Business & Arts NL, we’re proud of the work we’ve done in establishing partnerships and understanding between the province’s creative community and collaborators in the private, public and social sectors. And we’ve had quite an eventful year. We’re pleased to share these developments in our latest Annual Report (click here to view).
Between welcoming a number of new members and establishing more wonderful community partnerships, we wrapped up some of our existing programs (like our approximately three-year Design Thinking project) and kicked off some exciting new initiatives.
Last May, we introduced our Unlock Your Inner Creative speaker series, featuring conversations with Robert Chafe, renown playwright and Artistic Director of local theatre company Artistic Fraud; as well as Seth Godin, internationally acclaimed author, speaker and entrepreneur. In May, we also introduced our Grow to Lead mentorship program, which pairs together leaders in the arts community and private sector (who will work together until June 2022).
Business & Arts NL board member Kevin Casey interviewed Seth Godin, who joined the audience at the Emera Innovation Exchange via satellite from New York.
Last summer we launched one of our most exciting initiatives yet with the release of the Explore Art NL public art app, which features just over 100 works of public art (including murals, memorials, sculptures and yarn-bombings) across the province. In tandem with its release, we collaborated with Genesis St. John’s to commission the GV80 Art Car, featuring the artwork of local graphic designer and visual artist Vanessa Iddon. The Art Car was on the road for a month, acting as a billboard to showcase the app and local art, while driving attention to Genesis as a creative and locally connected brand.
Artist Vanessa Iddon sits in the Genesis GV80 Art Car during the launch event for the Explore Art NL public art app. Photo: Paul Daly
We were also pleased to collaborate with Kildare Renovations for our Art Cart, a mobile kiosk that was placed at The Wharf at Quidi Vidi over the summer, giving local artists the opportunity to showcase and sell their work. We are grateful to Kildare for supporting this project by designing and constructing the Art Cart, and donating the materials.
Artist Kathleen Bragg Murphy sold her prints at the Art Cart at Quidi Vidi this past summer.
The past year also saw the continuation of some of our most popular programs and initiatives, including the Business Workshops for Artists series, Business Volunteers for the Arts, ArtSupport NL, and our Local Holiday Gift Guide. And we were so excited to relaunch some of our beautiful public pianos, painted by local artists and sponsored by local businesses, (which were closed temporarily to accommodate public health restrictions), including the Avalon Laboratories Piano at the Health Sciences Centre, the Memorial University Piano at the Emera Innovation Exchange, the Cox & Palmer Piano at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market, and the Come From Away Piano at Gander Airport (welcomed back with a beautiful performance courtesy of The Once. Click here to view).
Video still from The Once performing at the Come From Away Piano at the Gander Airport, December 2021.
We thank everyone for their incredible support, especially over these last couple of trying years, and look forward to continuing to work together to foster alliances and encourage creativity and innovation through collaboration with the arts.
View our Annual Report here.