Supporting the arts is about much more than money
The true value of business supporting the arts is much more than monetary. The arts are a peculiarly human phenomenon. For as long as we have been around, we have expressed ourselves creatively — through the visual arts, music, dance, theatre, physical performance, architecture, fashion and design — touching the hearts and pricking the consciousness of those around us.
We are surrounded by artistic creativity in all its manifestations and it influences our lives in ways that we perhaps don’t fully appreciate.
We watch it, we listen to it, we wear it, we touch it, use it and we go inside it.
Far from the notion that art is in some way elitist, we all have the right to enjoy it, criticise it, appreciate it and, indeed, openly engage with it.
We are entitled to have an opinion, even if it is to be unsure what to think or feel about it.
This goes to the heart of what the Basa Awards, which reward companies for their art partnerships, are all about: making art accessible to everyone. In this regard, the business sector has an immensely important role to play. By supporting a wide variety of arts projects, businesses contribute in no small way to South African creativity.
Through affording artists the space to create their works and giving them the means to market and publicise them they promote a vibrant and sustainable arts sector.
The notion of impoverished artists creating masterpieces in dingy garrets may be a romantic one but it’s unrealistic; making art must, in the first instance, be viable for the artists themselves.
In doing so, the business sector gives society the privileges of beauty, social conscience, awareness and engagement, of form as well as function. Imagine how drab, even pointless, the world would be without art.
It’s tempting to assume that the Basa Awards give recognition to companies that throw money at the arts and by extension the ones that have the most budget to spend are the ones that will win. This is incorrect and reinforces the unfounded idea that the arts are only for moneyed people. The awards’ 15 judging criteria go way beyond simple financial support, requiring entries to demonstrate elements such as the art forms chosen (there is a bias towards music and visual arts); societal impact (does the project speak to society at large and does it have emotional and cultural intelligence?); equity and return on investment (does the project benefit both the business and the artists, not necessarily financially?); and reputation (have the business, the artists and the project enjoyed a good or improved reputation?)
If they want to have a sniff at winning a Basa Award, companies and their arts partners must therefore demonstrate that they have been much more involved in an art project than simply allocating corporate social investment funding to it. They need to show that they are committed to the arts, rather than simply building an impressive corporate art collection or getting public relations mileage out of their spend.
And that’s a wonderful thing, because it means that those companies are made to show that they are about much more than purely a crass bottom line.
They can honestly engage with, and enrich, the communities that support them; they can show that they do have a heart. They have the power to make the world a better place through the arts.
Of course, there are marketing benefits to be had out of supporting the arts and, indeed, winning a Basa Award, but that’s an acceptable tradeoff for getting companies to support the arts.
It presents a win-win-win situation: the artists themselves benefit from this exposure too, as do the communities who get the chance to enjoy their works.
Hollard has art in its DNA, thanks largely to its founders’ appreciation for the arts. It has developed a well-deserved reputation, over many years, for its support of the arts — not least of which is its sponsorship of the Basa Awards since its inception, the past three years as lead sponsor.
Like many of its corporate peers, Hollard has an extensive art collection, which is displayed all over the Villa Arcadia head office complex and its City Campus in Johannesburg. From meeting spaces to hallways and even the canteen, art (some of it very provocative) is everywhere — not just in the executive suites. And that’s the way it should be.
But the company takes accessibility to art much further than that. It is one of three major corporate patrons of Creative Block, a fantastic initiative by Yellowwoods Art. More than 250 participating artists produce works on 18cm x 18cm blocks. The patrons buy them and display them together in a striking way — and they’re for sale to anyone.
Creative Block creates a win-win-win situation: the artists make money immediately for their work and benefit from being curated; Hollard is able to include the works in marketing campaigns such as Better Futures, which aims to make a difference in the lives of people; and collectors are able to buy the artworks at affordable prices and arrange and juxtapose them as they like.
Another initiative is the mural project at Villa Arcadia, an initiative of Artinsure and Artist Proof Studio, in which the latter’s artists are creating stunning murals in stairwells and parking garages.
What would otherwise be dead areas are being transformed into beautiful art spaces, accessible to anyone parking their car or using a staircase.
By supporting and showcasing the artists in this clever way, art connoisseurs and neophytes alike are encouraged to look with fresh eyes at what art is and how it is displayed.
And that’s the point, really. Great art is not meant to be the preserve of the wealthy and apparently cultured. It is meant to be seen, heard and appreciated by many people, who can respond to it in that most human of ways: puzzle over what it means, decide whether or not they like it and feel enriched by the experience of someone else’s creative talent.
The business world’s support for the arts provides both artists and audiences with this precious possibility. Yes, companies’ money is involved, but it’s their heart that gives their support true value — and that’s what the Basa Awards seek to recognise.
THE NOTION OF IMPOVERISHED ARTISTS CREATING MASTERPIECES IN DINGY GARRETS [IS] UNREALISTIC