Paul O’Kane, Public Affairs Director, DAA, and Stuart McLaughlin, Chief Executive, Business to Arts, receive the first sculpture from commissioned artist Donnacha Cahill for this year’s Allianz Business to Arts

For the past 22 years, DAA have commissioned an artist each year to create an edition of sculptures for the Allianz Business to Arts Awards. Yesterday we announced Galway artist Donnacha Cahill as this year’s commissioned sculptor. The piece, ‘Balance’ has been made in steel to convey the sensitivity and delicate balance between business and the Arts working together. The sculpture shows the reward of such sensitivity and how that relationshipmight blossom and grow in a true spirit of creative collaboration.

To mark the commission, Dublin Airport are hosting an exhibition of Donnacha’s work until the Awards are presented on 10 September. The sculptures will be presented to the winners at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre by Minister Jimmy Deenihan.

Donnacha Cahill, from Athenry, describes himself as armed with a welder, an iron worker, an anvil and lots of other things that create fire and sparks as a way to make his mark. The object is how Donnacha communicate who he is, what he sees, and what interests him. His portfolio includes abstract and representational work of all sizes and scale – his 7metre tall Gramophone sculpture will be on view at this year’s Electric Picnic. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and his work is in collections as far away as Vietnam.

At this year’s judging day in The Merrion Hotel: (back row) Stuart McLaughlin, Business to Arts; Sinead Gibney, Google Ireland; Alex Gibson, School of Hospitality Management and Tourism, DIT & The Persuaders Radio Show; Paul O’Kane, DAA. (Front Row) Ursula Murphy, Allianz Ireland; Gerard McNaughton, TileStyle; Rosemary Collier, Kilkenny Arts Festival; Eithne Harley, Accenture.

We’re delighted to announce the shortlisted projects for this year’s Allianz Business to Arts Awards are:

Best Large Sponsorship – over €25,000 value
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch & National Gallery of Ireland for the conservation of ‘The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife’ by Daniel Maclise
• Bord Gáis Energy for the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
• Cavan County Council & Eriu Dance Company for ‘The Rite of Spring’
• The Irish Times / Adobe & Royal Irish Academy for ‘A History of Ireland in 100 Objects’

Best Small Sponsorship – under €25,000 value
• Accenture & GAZE Film Festival
• Marine Institute & Cois Cladaigh for ‘The Longest River’
• McCann FitzGerald & Abbey Theatre for ‘A Celebration of Ireland’s Nobel Literary Heritage’
• PricewaterhouseCoopers & NCAD

Best Long Term Partnership
• Brothers of Charity Services / Ability West & Blue Teapot Theatre Company
• Dublin Airport Authority & Dublin Theatre Festival for ‘Dubliners’
• KBC Bank Ireland & KBC Great Music in Irish Houses
• Moët Hennessy for the Hennessy Literary Awards

Best Use of Creativity in the Community
• Amaranta Family Practice & deAppendix
• BAM Contractors & Cork Midsummer Festival for ‘Parallel Cities’
• Brown Bag Films / The Irish Times & Fighting Words
• The Irish Times & Fishamble: The New Play Company for ‘Tiny Plays for Ireland 2’

Best Creative Staff Engagement
• Arup & Joseph Walsh for Arup Penguin Pool
• Barry’s Tea & Cork Midsummer Festival for ‘Parallel Cities : The Factory’
• College of Science, UCD & Hanlon & O’Boyle
• Hairdressing by Connie Byrne Hyland / Arboretum Carlow / Unum / Merck Sharpe & Dohme / Castlerath Construction / Gordon Engineering & Pure Thinking Community Group / Carlow Youth Services

Jim McNaughton Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice
• Bord Gáis Éireann & John Kindness for GASWORK
• Brehon Capital Partners / McCauley Daye O’Connell Architects / Fire & Enda Cavanagh for the Marker Hotel commission
• Chapter One Restaurant & Magnhild Opdøl for ProjectArt@ChapterOne
• Presentation College & Blaise Smith for SCHOOLWORK

The following awards will also be presented on 10 Sept 2013 at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre:

Jim McNaughton / TileStyle €10,000 Artist’s Bursary
Dublin Airport Authority €5,000 Arts Award
Judges’ Special Recognition

The winners of the 2013 Allianz Business to Arts Awards will be announced on 10 September at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. These awards seek to recognise the importance of arts and business organisations working together. The Awards will be presented by Minister for Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Mr Jimmy Deenihan, TD.

This year’s nominees for the 22^nd annual Awards all celebrate talent, collaboration, and potential. From bringing out the creative side of a business, to a community coming together to create something spectacular, the nominees have brought out the best in their businesses, their communities, their young people and their artists to celebrate what they have, and to create something new.