The shortlist for the 30th Business to Arts Awards has been announced, with partnerships between St Patrick’s Festival and TikTok, An Post and Dublin Pride, and KPMG and Children’s Books Ireland among the potential winners.
The shortlist represents corporate-cultural partnerships undertaken and delivered during the pandemic.
The Business to Arts Awards recognise creative partnerships between businesses, philanthropists, artists, and arts organisations. The shortlist focuses on arts sponsorship, philanthropy, commissioning of artists, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, such as employee and community engagement.
The entries were judged by a panel that included representatives from Accenture, The Irish Times, ESB, Mermaid Arts Centre, Daa, Irish Life, the Arts Council, TileStyle, and Arthur Cox.
The awards ceremony will take place at the National Concert Hall on September 20th, with a total of €25,000 to be presented through bursaries and awards on the night. This year’s awards include a new Accenture Digital Innovation in Art Bursary, which is designed to support an artist working exclusively in the digital space.
“The shortlist for the 30th anniversary of the Business to Arts Awards showcases the incredible resilience and ingenuity of creative partnerships between the corporate and cultural sectors,” said Louise O’Reilly, chief executive of Business to Arts. “The nominees have gone above and beyond to bring art to their communities when they needed it most, often tackling challenging subject matter or providing a creative sanctuary during the pandemic.”
Among the awards to be handed out are best large sponsorship, which sees St Patrick’s Festival and TikTok compete against the Dublin Port Company, ANU Productions and Landmark Productions; Zurich and the National Gallery of Ireland with the Crawford Art Gallery; and KPMG and Children’s Books Ireland.
The shortlist for the best long-term partnership includes Accenture’s Women on Walls with Dublin City University, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, and The Royal Irish Academy; the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize; KPMG and Children’s Books Ireland; and the National University of Ireland, Galway and Galway International Arts Festival.
Other awards include best small sponsorship, the best use of creativity in the community, best use of creativity in the workplace, and best philanthropic support to the arts award.
2022 Business to Arts Awards shortlist:
Best Large Sponsorship supported by Arthur Cox
- St Patrick’s Festival & TikTok for Solas
- Dublin Port Company, ANU Productions & Landmark Productions for The Book of Names
- Zurich and the National Gallery of Ireland with the Crawford Art Gallery for the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize
- KPMG & Children’s Books Ireland for Free To Be Me and KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards
Best Small Sponsorship
- Henry J Lyons & Dublin Art Book Fair for Dublin Art Book Fair 2021: Manual
- Gurranabraher Credit Union & Sample-Studios for Photogo
- Arthur Cox and National Concert Hall for Notes from a Quiet Land
- ESB Energy for Generations Fund and Cork International Film Festival for Illuminate and Intinn
Best Long-Term Partnership supported by The Irish Times
- Accenture’s Women on Walls with Dublin City University, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, and The Royal Irish Academy
- Zurich and the National Gallery of Ireland with the Crawford Art Gallery for the Zurich Portrait Prize and Zurich Young Portrait Prize
- KPMG and Children’s Books Ireland for Free To Be Me and KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards
- National University of Ireland, Galway and Galway International Arts Festival
Best use of Creativity in the Community supported by Irish Life
- An Post and Dublin Pride for PRIDE/BRÓD stamps
- The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation and Poetry Ireland for Catherine Ann Cullen, poet in residence
- Northern Trust and ESB Energy For Generations Fund and Bounce Club Night
- Press Up and The Dean Arts Studio
Best use of Creativity in the Workplace supported by ESB
- An Post and Dublin Pride for PRIDE/BRÓD stamps
- John Sisk & Sons and Emmet Kane
- Bank of America and The Abbey Theatre
Jim McNaughton Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice supported by TileStyle
- Arthur Cox and Alva Gallagher for Soar
- ESB and Fishamble for Tiny Plays for a Brighter Future
- Behaviour & Attitudes and Graphic Studio Dublin
- BioMarin and Rachel Doolin for The Giving Tree
Best Philanthropic Support to the Arts Award supported by the Arts Council
- Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund
- Community Foundation for Ireland and Children’s Books Ireland
- The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation and Poetry Ireland for Catherine Ann Cullen, poet in residence
- Ballinglen Arts Foundation and Museum
Judges’ Special Recognition Award supported by Accenture
- Wexford Festival Opera and Danone, Arachas Insurance, Datapac, and PwC
- Arthur Cox and National Concert Hall and Alva Gallagher
- Cork International Film Festival and Murphy’s, Gate Cinemas, and ESB Energy for Generations Fund
- ESB and Fishamble, Cork International Film Festival and Bounce Club Night
