Membership Spotlight: Cheers to 10 Years!

Since Business & Arts NL formed over a decade ago, we've been proud to cultivate a community of like-minded individuals, organizations and businesses who believe in the transformative power of the arts and the value the arts brings — from enhancing our well-being and fostering empathy and understanding, to sparking innovation and contributing to the economy. 

We're grateful for each and every one of our members who have joined us on this journey and are excited for what lies ahead. 

This week, we'd like to dedicate this special Spotlight to those business and arts members who have been with us for 10 consecutive years and celebrate their consistent engagement and dedication, which has been crucial to helping us achieve our mission. 

We asked these members to share why they support arts and culture and what being a member of Business & Arts NL means to them. Here's what they said: 

Pat Thompson (left) of Diamond Design hosts a reading at Terrace on the Square in collaboration with Winterset in Summer Literary Festival.

Diamond Design
"At Diamond Design, we believe the arts play a vital role in shaping the identity, creativity and resilience of our province. Supporting arts and culture isn’t just about sponsorship. It’s about investing in the people, ideas and stories that make Newfoundland and Labrador such a unique place to live and work. Through our involvement with Business & Arts NL, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of the arts ecosystem and meaningful opportunities to connect, collaborate and give back. It’s been a rewarding partnership for the past decade, and we’re proud to continue supporting this work." - Pat Thompson, Owner

The NSO performs at the Masterworks 1 show in September 2018. Photo: Greg Locke

Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (NSO)
"Business & Arts NL is such an important organization in our community and does incredible work. For the NSO, we have been proud to be members for the last 10 years. The programs offered, and the connections made with the business community and other arts organizations, have been invaluable. I look forward to the next 10 years working with Amy and her team to foster and build important partnerships which lift up the arts and highlight the business leaders who are truly making a difference in our community." - Hugh Donnan, CEO

Bonavista Biennale 2017, Will Gill, The Green Chair. Photo: Brian Ricks

Bonavista Biennale
"Business & Arts NL is an imperative part of our province’s arts ecology. Their programs have a tremendous impact on artists, arts workers and arts organizations, and serve as a vital link to businesses and volunteers who invest in and support the arts sector. Bonavista Biennale is proud to have been an organizational member of Business & Arts NL for the past decade." - Sue Balint, Executive Director

Danger Tree sculpture in Corner Brook by Morgan MacDonald (Tract Consulting).

Tract Consulting 
"Tract Consulting has been a supporting partner of Business & Arts NL for many years, and we understand the value in the work they do to connect business, artists and communities. Their annual (Un)Common Threads: Creativity & Innovation Summits have been a joy, with the 2024 and 2025 events standing out as particularly inspiring for the quality of presentations, and the practical lived insights into how arts and culture strengthen individuals and communities.

As landscape architects, engineers and designers, we have had the good fortune to work with Business & Arts NL and many artists throughout the province. In partnership with Business & Arts NL we supported the development of the Explore Art NL app, which highlights over 100 pieces of sculpture, visual art and cultural expression in public landscapes province-wide. Our work involves thoughtfully incorporating art into urban and rural landscapes. When the landscape architect works side-by-side with the artist, the resulting designed space and the art form become one, which is a beautiful thing.

As historian Simon Schama writes in Landscape and Memory, “Landscapes are culture before they are nature.”

This idea closely reflects Tract Consulting’s experience integrating art into public spaces where sculpture and visual art help express local identity, collective memory and a deeper connection between people and place.

We look forward to continuing our support of Business & Arts NL and the important work they do championing arts and culture across the province." - Neil Dawe (FCSLA), President

SJIWFF 2018, screening and panel at the LSPU Hall.

St. John's International Women's Film Festival (SJIWFF)
"Business & Arts NL has been taking the pulse of our province’s arts ecosystem, with a clear focus on where we are and where we want to go. SJIWFF is deeply grateful for the opportunities they’ve created to help us connect, learn, strengthen our foundations and dream big. Arts and culture are central to Newfoundland and Labrador’s identity, and now more than ever, we must build an equitable, artist-focused and sustainable industry. This work is about more than a sector — it is our greatest natural resource, deserving of care and sustained investment. Business & Arts NL is helping make this possible." - Jenn Brown, Executive Director

LSPU Hall.

Resource Centre for the Arts (RCA)
The work of Business & Arts NL is vital to the growth and sustainability of our province’s arts sector. I see the organization as a translator, bridging the cultural and knowledge gap between the business and arts communities. One particularly meaningful partnership was an invited dress rehearsal for one of our co-productions, where business members were welcomed into the rehearsal hall for behind-the-scenes access and an open conversation with the cast and crew. The impact on those in attendance was immediate and unmistakable. No explanation was required to convey the “why” behind our work. Experiences like this dissolve perceived boundaries between seemingly separate worlds and invite people to share in the intangible, transformative value of art." - Suzanne Mullett, General Manager

Cenovus Energy was one of the sponsors of Business & Arts NL’s project “EDI Moments: Art as a Catalyst for Change.”

Cenovus Energy
"Business & Arts NL shares our commitment to nurturing the talent and potential of the people who call this place home. Our employees in this region come from all across Newfoundland and Labrador, but the arts know no boundaries. The programs and services offered by Business & Arts NL challenge our thinking, inspire us and play a key role in building a place that is creative, innovative, resilient and strong.” - Jeff Jeworski, Senior Vice President, Atlantic Region

Domestic Moving & Storage have played an important part in our #ComePlayWithMeNL public piano program by storing and moving instruments.

Domestic Moving & Storage
"The arts have always been close to our hearts at Domestic Moving & Storage. Our president, Martin, has long been supportive of the arts, and his daughters Paige (now one of our directors) and Abby grew up immersed in both ballet and circus. Those experiences shaped who they are, so supporting the arts through our business feels both natural and essential. We truly value the role arts plays in building vibrant communities and are proud to contribute in ways we can — even when it means moving pianos, bridging our world of moving and storage with the arts and culture we care about." - Domestic Moving & Storage team 

John Devereaux speaks at the 2024 (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit.

Perfect Day
"Ten years! Ten years is a long time to be a member of anything, but BANL, under the talented and community-focused Amy Henderson, has made our membership more than worthwhile time and time again. Events, support, conferences, public art, speakers, programs, funding, connections – if you want to find an engaging, thoughtful, smart and relevant organization, look no further than Business & Arts NL. Perfect Day was one of the first members of BANL, and we’re proud to still be connected with them. BANL makes Newfoundland and Labrador a better place." -John Devereaux, Creative Director

Visual Artists Newfoundland and Labrador (VANL-CARFAC)
"VANL-CARFAC has been proud to maintain a membership with Business & Arts NL for the last decade. We've benefitted in many ways from our association with them, both in the ample opportunities we've had to take part in the range of programming, conferences and workshops that they've presented, and even more so in the many occasions we've had to consult and share information with each other over the years — all in service of improving the working conditions of artists and strengthening the sector at large. Thank you BANL." - Dave Andrews, Executive Director 

Participants enjoy making paper dragons at the 2016 ARTFUSiON event in Mount Pearl.

Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl
"Being part of Business & Arts NL for the past 10 years has been incredibly beneficial for the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl. Every single workshop, training and event we have attended has helped us to develop key skills for running our organization, has allowed us to expand our capacity, and has increased the knowledge and confidence of our board members.

While many artists and arts organizations know intuitively that the arts sector is a key element of our province’s economy and the well-being of our communities, Business & Arts NL is always working to make that information visible and tangible, an effort that benefits every artist and arts organization in NL.

And, finally, by providing opportunities for collaboration and communication between business and the arts, Business & Arts NL is providing a model for the type of cooperation that would benefit many different industries in our province and allow everyone to thrive." -  Christine Hennebury, Founder and Chair

Dennis Hogan speaks at an unveiling event for public art at St. John’s International Airport. Photo: Leona Rockwood

St. John's International Airport
“As Newfoundland and Labrador’s primary travel gateway to the rest of the world, the St. John’s International Airport takes great pride in showcasing our province’s vibrant culture and artistic talent with every traveller who passes through. We are delighted that several of our recent cultural projects have been in partnership with Business & Arts NL, and we commend them on creating such meaningful opportunities for local artists.” - Dennis Hogan, CEO

Paul Antle speaks before an NSO performance.

Pluto Investments
"Investing in the arts not only helps preserve our culture and traditions, it also acts as an economic driver and even stimulates entrepreneurialism. It helps to inspire critical thinking, promote creativity, support social cohesion and ultimately is medicine for our mental health and well-being. Pluto has been investing in the arts for decades and we will continue doing so in the years ahead. It’s just good business!” - Paul Antle, President and CEO

We'd like to acknowledge and say a big thank you to these members who have also been with us for a decade:
Steele Hotels
Killick Capital
WritersNL
Rising Tide Theatre
Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador
Christine Koch
Brenda Rowe

Our work is supported by our members; forward-looking businesses, artists and organizations across the province who believe in the power of creativity. Interested in joining us? Click here to learn about membership options.