Americans for the Arts
Leading non-profit organization for advancing the arts in America.

 The Arts Education Partnership
National coalition of arts, education, business, philanthropic and government organizations that demonstrate and promote the essential role of the arts in the learning and development of every child and in the improvement of America's schools.

 Arts Management Network
International information service and network for cultural management and arts administration.

 Business for the Arts
The Council for Business and the Arts in Canada: Canada's national association of leading arts sponsors, patrons and volunteers.

 Business Committee for the Arts, Inc.
US-based national not-for-profit organization that brings business and the arts together.

 The International Council of Museums

rts impact on society in many ways. They can both reflect and help to shape the ways in which people think, and act. Their power to twang emotional strings can be as great as that of charities and sport, sometimes greater.

For sponsors, the arts are intriguingly dangerous. They can enlighten, disgust, enrapture, bore, enthral, entertain, confuse, illustrate, provoke, summarise, amuse, depict, interpret, delight, involve, teach, mislead, sensationalise, deconstruct, please, upset and obsess - in ways which are rarely predictable.

People have views about the arts - few are non-commital.

So a sponsorship opportunity offered by an artist or arts organization should be assessed with these thoughts in mind. Often a corporate entity or a brand will say far more about itself through arts sponsorship than ever it could by way of conventional brand advertising. A commitment to the arts is as dangerously intriguing as the arts themselves.

Arts offer points of view which are open to interpretation. Sponsor the arts and you align yourself with a marketing vehicle that can set off fireworks in the mind ...

Which is why it is often useful to seek assistance in navigating one's way through the labyrinth of artistic sponsorship opportunities. There are links to the websites of some of the organizations which offer help just to the left of this column.

If you prefer to take a different track, specialist sponsorship consultancies may provide more illuminating advice.

Or for those of a pioneering mindset, using the DIY approach, one of the many books on the subject (see some examples elsewhere on this page), may be a better vade mecum.

There's no shortage of arts organizations offering fascinating projects which can be brought to life by your sponsorship support. And in the process they could work wonders for your brand.

So ... why not make your choice? - and light the blue touch paper!

 
Richard Fox