Arts Business & Community Award winner announced
Howard Lake | 23 February 2004 | News
Manchester City Galleries and Co-operative Insurance Society Ltd (CIS) received the
RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) Arts Business & Community Award at last week’s Arts and Business Gala Awards ceremony at the Barbican in London.
The prize was awarded “in recognition of a business/arts partnership that has successfully stimulated community cohesion and regeneration through engagement with the arts”.
The sponsorship deal with CIS is worth £250,000 over five years. CIS sponsor Manchester Art Gallery’s CIS Manchester Gallery, which celebrates creativity in the city, bringing together works of art from the 18th century to the present day, alongside work by school children and community groups.
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One of many aspects of the relationship between the two organisations is the opportunity for CIS employees to become more involved with the Galleries’ activities. Last year, a group of CIS employees were trained to provide tours of Manchester Art Gallery for visually impaired visitors. Future plans include staff working with artists to create their own artworks and also volunteering as guides and helpers for Gallery events.
The partnership beat off stiff competition from other entrants including Barclays Plc’s sponsorship of four national arts organisations – The British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Britain and the National Theatre.
The annual awards celebrate excellence in business in the arts. The five other arts organisations which were announced as award winners this year were Tate, City of London Sinfonia, the National Theatre, Welsh National Opera, and Salisbury Playhouse.
Colin Tweedy, Chief Executive of Arts & Business, said: “It is wonderful to see such inspirational and innovative partnerships recognised and rewarded for the good work they are doing. When businesses and the arts work together they can make a significant and enriching impact on the lives of employees, children and the local community, and the partnerships honoured tonight are shining examples of this.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.