BLUE MOUNTAINS ARTISTS NETWORK
BUSINESS CASE FOR CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP
Table 1
Our mission is to Connect, Nurture and Grow. We aim to build a culture of pro-active membership and to promote opportunities to exhibit, perform, exchange skills and interact to strengthen our arts practice and bonds with the communities of the Blue Mountains. We value creativity, professionalism, co-operation and community goodwill. Our philosophy is to enhance the cultural medium; enrich the social and cultural quality of local and regional life; create opportunities for young people and aspiring artists; encourage a sense of identity and belonging thereby fostering community identity; to project a positive image of the World Heritage Blue Mountains by promoting its artistic and cultural vitality.
All genres of arts practice and patronage.
We provide a support and information network, by website and personal contact, for artists of all genres in our World Heritage Listed Area. Our activities are designed to develop and maintain the network, expand its contacts and areas of influence and to develop links with other entities as appropriate to strengthen economic sustainability and independence. We hold exhibitions, provide professional development contacts and information, advocate for the needs of artists, and have working partnerships and associations with numerous local organisations and businesses, and with Local Council. Our immediate project is to establish an electronic Artists Studio Trail linking the lower and upper mountains, supported by appropriate promotional material. Other ongoing activities and achievements include:-
Professional development seminars and development of on-line arts workshops.
Running the Blue Mountains City Council Artspace programme consisting of six exhibitions per year.
Organising Classy Arts a selling opportunity for professional artists without gallery space in partnership with the historic Carrington Hotel.
Co-ordinating the Arts Exhibition and Music Festival forming part of the Carrington Hotels and Katoomba Mainstreets annual Wines of the West Festival.
Represented on the Blue Mountains Tourism Arts and Culture Advisory Panel for their three year tourism initiative in conjunction with Global Tourism.
We are achieving steady membership growth and are now regarded as the peak arts body in the Blue Mountains area. We also understand that our arts organisation is unique of its kind in Australia.
We are based in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Our location in this World Heritage Listed City of the Arts affords us enormous potential to reach beyond our own region to national and international contacts and co-operation.
Our audience and market is the arts community in general and national and international visitors in particular. We reach out to individual artists and those members of the public who value, are interested in, or concerned with the arts. Further sustainable growth of Sydney as a global city needs a vibrant, diverse arts and cultural climate to encourage the growth of the creative class (highly educated people who develop enterprises entrepreneurs.) Without a rich cultural mix, a city has no depth to attract and retain business leaders and innovative thinkers. The Blue Mountains is strong in these areas, particularly well located to attract these people to establish connections with greater Sydney, where much of the growth is happening. BMAN can have a very positive influence on this development.
BMANs income is derived mainly from membership subscriptions, entry fees from our various activities and Council grants. We have received significant grant funding from the Blue Mountains City Council particularly aimed at developing one-off projects i.e. our website in 2003/4 (www.bman.org.au) and now the sister site to that which will encompass the electronic Artists Studio Trail during 2005/6.
Blue Mountains City Council, Carrington Hotel.
We are a volunteer not for profit incorporated organisation run by a committee of seven BMAN members all of whom are practising artists, giving their time to further BMAN and its activities. BMAN was formed in September 2001, and incorporated on 25th of June 2002 and is in the process of applying for tax deductible status. Our membership is currently 150, with a potential for 2000 practising artists.
An application has recently been made (via GROW) to the Department of Transport & Regional Authority for monies to pay for a part-time co-ordinator. This application is supported by Blue Mountains City Council; Kerry Bartlett, MP; Blue Mountains Tourism; the Carrington Hotel and Katoomba Mainstreet (Chamber of Commerce). We also hope that through our association with Abaf, we will be in a position to engage other paid staff, as appropriate, to relieve the workload from our volunteer artists.
TABLE 2
We are committed to fostering excellence in all genres of the arts in our community. Our contribution towards furthering the recognition of artists regionally is significant, and steadily growing. Also, our proposed electronic Artists Studio Trail will spotlight our artists nationally and internationally.
We
BMANs activities are designed to:
Promote arts awareness and an acknowledgement of the rich cultural environment in which we live.
Promote opportunities to exhibit or perform, strengthening our arts practice and the bonds with our Blue Mountains community.
Encourage hands on cultural and artistic experience.
Foster a sense of a cohesive arts scene throughout the Blue Mountains rather than scattered individual practitioners.
The Arts are considered a major industry in the Blue Mountains, and the region is actively promoting this as a business/tourism strategy. Blue Mountains Tourism have four major streams underpinning their promotional strategy, of which Arts and Culture is one, with specific mention of an Arts Trail. BMANs activities and current proposals fit exactly into this strategic plan, which encompasses Creative Tourism, workshops and global promotion. BMAN will play an increasing role in maximising opportunities for Blue Mountains Arts practitioners, thereby improving their ability and resources to contribute to and benefit from an expanding regional economy. Our various programmes professionally support, market and build on the BMAN Network artists. We will expand our connections into the increasing range of commercial outlets in the region, and reinforce its cultural reputation. BMAN encourages and supports artists to engage and co-operatively market and promote their art.
Many of our members address social issues and concerns in their works of art, literature, theatre, song, music, poetry, etc. There are some BMAN members who use their art-form as therapy for those who may be temporarily or permanently in need of help within the social context. This work enables those people to maintain some self-esteem and keep them active in and connected to the community.
We encourage participation by youth and community groups. Our recent Artspace Photographic, and Painting/Mixed Media exhibitions contained a large section devoted to works by young people from a number of local schools and Blue Mountains youth and community centres. The standard was very high, the public reaction was extremely positive, and the young people were greatly encouraged.
Artists generally work in isolation. BMAN was formed to combat this phenomenon. We are a support Network of kindred souls, sharing joys and passions, problems and solutions. We aim to get people together, bring members out of the studios, caves and bush and into the warm company of other artists. And then its back to the studio, the screen, the outdoors, etc. all inspired and connected. A oneness which reinforces our perception of having a meaningful place in society.
Many of our artist members are well-established in Australia and some regularly exhibit internationally, making them excellent ambassadors to enhance Australias positive image overseas. BMAN has deliberately built a strong association with Blue Mountains Tourism and its affiliates in order to promote our members nationally and internationally, and showcase them to the best mutual advantage. Our aim is to continually expand these associations and connections.
TABLE 3
We are the peak arts body in the Blue Mountains area, and our range of activities is growing. Our Committee is hardworking, imaginative and driven by a can do attitude. We receive considerable support from our local Council and businesses which generates an increasing level of reputation and community awareness.
We offer:
Corporate Reputation, Corporate Relations & Networking
Enhanced corporate image and reputation within the community.
High quality artworks for exhibition and corporate display.
Innovative hosting opportunities for networking and nurturing business contacts.
Community goodwill, bringing increased local acknowledgement and awareness.
Advertising and cross promotional opportunities on BMANs websites and promotional material.
Links to significant Tourism and hospitality outlets and venues for corporate networking and market-share enhancement.
Global reach through our location in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Listing area.
Innovative and creative cultural experiences and workshops for the benefit of our Corporate Partners employees and executives.
Improved staff morale and breadth of vision, generating fresh approaches and directions in the corporate workplace.
Cultural stimulation and rejuvenation.
TABLE 4
Benefits Needed
We are a fast-growing, fledgling organisation operating on a shoestring. However, we recognise the importance of being businesslike, appearing businesslike and feeling businesslike.
Our needs are: