This year we saw a huge jump in nominations to the Allianz Business to Arts Awards, with a 25% increase on previous record levels. Nominations came from all over the country, from organisations of all sizes, sectors and scopes. The nominations celebrated outstanding relationships and partnerships right across the artforms, and featured diverse engagement programmes for communities, staff and education.

Sincere thanks to our Jury Panel who put countless hours into the judging process:

Ursula Murphy – Director of Human Resources, Allianz Ireland
Catherine Heaney – Chief Executive, DHR Communications
Ann Mulrooney – CEO, VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art
Gerard McNaughton – Retail Director, TileStyle & Chair, Business to Arts
Paul O’Kane – Chief Communications Officer
Katie Molony – Managing Director, Maximum Media
Tom Molloy – Group Business Editor, Independent News & Media (not pictured)
Also pictured, Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive, Business to Arts

The winners will be announced at the 24^th annual Allianz Business to Arts Awards in the Bord Gáis Theatre on Tuesday 1 September 2015 by Minister for Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD.

Best Large Sponsorship – over €25,000 value
• The Doyle Collection & Irish Design 2015
• ESB & Feis Ceoil Association
• Naughton Foundation & Royal Irish Academy – ‘Art & Architecture of Ireland’
• Sky Arts/Sky Ireland & Rough Magic/Opera Theatre Company – ‘Sky Arts Ignition: The Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny’

Best Small Sponsorship –€25,000 value and under
• Brown Bag Films & Children’s Books Ireland – ‘Bookbag’
• PwC & National College of Art & Design
• Publicis Dublin & Fishamble: The New Play Company
• Whyte & Sons Auctioneers & Pallas Projects/Studios

Best Long Term Partnership
• Healy Group & Irish Chamber Orchestra
• The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards
• Naughton Foundation & Royal Irish Academy – ‘Art & Architecture of Ireland’
• Newbridge Silverware & National College of Art & Design
• RTÉ & RTÉ All Ireland Drama Festival

Best Use of Creativity in the Community
• Bord Gáis Energy & BGE Student Theatre Awards
• Central Bank of Ireland & National College of Art & Design
• Mason Hayes & Curran & Temple Bar Gallery + Studios
• Matheson & National Gallery of Ireland

Best Creative Staff Engagement
• ESB & Science Gallery Dublin
• Graepel Metal Perforators & Weavers & Corcadorca / Eat My Noise
• KPMG & St Michael’s House – ‘Multi-Sensory Stories’
• Publicis Dublin & Fishamble: The New Play Company

Jim McNaughton Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice
• The Abbey Theatre & National College of Art & Design
• Dublin Port Company & Dublin City Council – ‘Dublin Ships’ by Cliona Harmey
• ESB & Martin Gale – Commission for the 40th Anniversary of Turlough Hill
• Press Up Entertainment Group & Inputout Creative Agency – The Dean Hotel Art Commission

Allianz Community Art Prize
• Kids’ Classics – Wordplay
• RADE – Recovery Through Art, Drama and Education
• Super Paua – Aunty Ben

Judges’ Special Recognition Award for Portfolio of Investment
• ESB / Electric Ireland – for their partnerships with Clare Memory Orchestra; Electric Picnic; Feis Ceoil Association; Martin Gale; National Concert Hall; No. 29 The Georgian House Museum; Science Gallery Dublin
• National College of Art & Design – for their partnerships with The Abbey Theatre; Central Bank of Ireland; Irish Life Group; Newbridge Silverware; PwC; TileStyle
• TileStyle – for their partnerships with Bitter Like a Lemon; Business to Arts; Enda Cavanagh; Dulra Photography; Deirdre Kinahan; National Concert Hall; NCAD; ReCreate; Rua Red; Theatre Upstairs; This Then Theatre; Walking the Road

The following awards will also be presented on 1 Sept 2015 at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre:

Jim McNaughton / TileStyle €10,000 Artist’s Bursary

daa €5,000 Arts Award

The winners will receive a sculpture entitled ‘Corballis’ by Michelle Byrne, commissioned by daa.

If you wish to purchase tickets for the Allianz Business to Arts Awards please contact awards@businesstoarts.ie

Carlow sculptor Michelle Byrne with Andrew Hetherington, Business to Arts and Paul O’Kane, daa.

Royal de Luxe ‘The Giant’s Journey’ – Crescent Shopping Centre & Limerick City of Culture 2014
Image credits: www.royaldeluxelimerick.ie

Partnerships between businesses and the arts take many shapes and forms. While many fall under the public radar, there are some partnerships that are highly visible, unexpected and engaging. A spectrum of activities with artists, craft makers and designers are revitalising brands, connecting to core consumers and driving associations with the arts. We love the projects developed by the following retailers, and how their activities are shining new light on active engagement between the business and cultural sectors.

Brown Thomas & MASER
An unlikely pairing took place last year between Brown Thomas – synonymous with luxury and beauty – and Dublin graffiti artist Maser. The collaboration included a limited-edition shopping bag, and an installation piece for the retailer’s shop windows on Grafton Street, which saw a mix of bold colours and patterns inspired by the fashion shows of Spring/Summer 2014. As a show-stopping, eye-candy window display for pedestrians and customers, Brown Thomas gave insight into the meeting point between fashion, art and effective branding.

Since 2010, Brown Thomas has celebrated Irish innovation and design through its in-store event, CREATE.  Local makers and designers across craft, fashion and textiles display their work throughout Brown Thomas’ Dublin store and in pop-up shops in Cork, Galway and Limerick.  Shoppers can attend in-store demonstrations and opportunities to meet designers and makers, driving interest in Irish design.

Image credits: www.brownthomas.com

TileStyle & NCAD
TileStyle has a long standing tradition of supporting the arts and showcasing artwork in its retail space. A passion for the arts is part of its brand, clearly evident every time customers step into their showroom in Ballmount with changing art exhibitions happening regularly. Recently they have partnered with NCAD in a ‘Knowledge Transfer Programme’. TileStyle staff engage closely with NCAD Ceramics students to produce new artworks that innovatively work with ceramics. TileStyle’s continuous contribution to the arts shows a unique personality and complements its retail offering by revealing their commitment to supporting future generations of creativity.

Image credits: www.tilestyle.ie

Arnotts & Love Irish Design
As champions of designers and makers, Arnotts has been promoting Irish creativity since 2013 with their initiative ‘Love Irish Design’. Favouring local economic growth, there is a recent consumer trend towards buying locally produced products within the gifting and tourism markets. Supporting emerging and established Irish designers throughout their stores in clothing, jewellery, homewares and accessories, Arnotts is a retail store you don’t want to miss to stay on trend with the best in Irish design.

Image credits: www.arnotts.ie

Crescent Shopping Centre & Limerick City of Culture 2014
The Crescent Shopping Centre (Clancourt Group) was a major sponsor in 2014 of Limerick City of Culture. Their sponsorship included the presentation of the world-renowned street theatre company Royal de Luxe and their staging throughout the city during a 3-day period of ‘The Giant’s Journey’. Their brand was associated with a remarkable event in the city, seen by 230,000 visitors. Keen on contributing to Limerick’s cultural development, Crescent Shopping Centre have partnered up once again with the city and Limerick’s bid for Capital of Culture 2020. As part of ongoing activities in the city, they will host a popup culture shop within the shopping centre for all to enjoy.

Gerard McNaughton (L) elected as Chairman of Business to Arts with Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive. Photograph by Robbie Reynolds.

We’re delighted to announce that Gerard McNaughton, Retail Director of TileStyle, has been elected incoming Chairman of our Board of Directors. Gerard takes over from Michael Owens, HR Director of Vhi Healthcare, who has Chaired the organisation since 2011. Michael remains on the Board.

Gerard joined the Board of Business to Arts in 2009, and became Vice Chairman in 2011. TileStyle and the McNaughton Family have been stalwart supporters of Business to Arts since 1991, as Patrons and past title Sponsors and current category sponsors of our annual Awards programme. TileStyle have also been represented on the Board for many years. Gerard’s Father, Jim McNaughton was Chairman of Business to Arts from 2001-2003, and is remembered each year through the naming of two categories in the Allianz Business to Arts Awards celebrating commissioning and emerging artistic practice.

Gerard said “I’m delighted to take on the role of Chair of Business to Arts. Having worked with Andrew, Rowena and the team for several years, I look forward to continuing to support the growth in reach that Business to Arts has already achieved across both its corporate partners and arts affiliates in the past year. The ambition of the organisation is well matched with the Executive’s strong strategic approach. I  envisage our membership continuing to grow, and our wider programmes and consultancy offer expand to support more creative partnerships benefitting the business and arts sectors.”

Chief Executive of Business to Arts, Andrew Hetherington said “I’m looking forward to working closely with Gerard as Chair of Business to Arts, as I work with the Executive to implement a new strategic plan and continue the growth we’ve begun to see in corporate investments in the arts in the past 12 months. Working towards our 30^th anniversary year in 2018, we’re focussing on our Patrons, Members and Projects that support our mission to increase engagement between the sectors and continue to build private sector investment in the arts in line with the national recovery. TileStyle and the McNaughton Family are an incredible example of a family run-business that has seen many layers of benefit from their significant support of the arts each year.”