This year, our long-standing members, Behaviour & Attitudes celebrate 30 years of commissioning Irish artists to make original fine art prints with Graphic Studio Dublin. The prints are given to their clients as gifts, as an alternative to generic Christmas presents.  In an Irish context, the longevity of this commissioning practice is significant. The partnership between B&A and Graphic Studio has also been recognised through the Allianz Business to Arts Awards. ‘The Works’ exhibition of all original prints created through this commission runs from 14^th Feb – 9^th March at Graphic Studio Gallery, Through the Arch, Cope Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

The selected artists are either exceptional printmakers and members of Graphic Studio, a non-profit printmaking centre of excellence, or established painters who work collaboratively with the studio to make prints, that are then printed by hand at the studio.  The commission provides financial support to artists and helps to fund the studio, an organisation that delivers tangible assistance to artists, by delivering subsidised studio space, access to printmaking courses and technical facilities for artists to make prints.

Commissioning achieves a number of objectives for B&A – signaling an appreciation of their business relationship with clients, demonstrating synergy between business and the arts, and highlighting talented Irish artists.  To date, 30 artists have been commissioned to make 79 different images that are printed using various original printmaking processes.

Artists who make up the thirty years of this unique commission include William Crozier, Cliona Doyle, Richard Gorman, Ailbhe Barrett, Hughie O’Donoghue, Pamela Leonard, Gwen O’Dowd and James McCreary to name just a few.

A catalogue has been published to accompany the exhibition, with an introductory text by Aidan Dunne. Available here. 

The full list of artists who have contributed to the commission and are included in the exhibition are:

1989            James McCreary

1990            Tighe O’Donoghue/Ross

1991            Richard Gorman

1992            Felim Egan

1993            Charles Tyrrell

1994            John Kindness

1995            William Crozier

1996            Stephen Lawlor

1997            John Behan

1998            Ruth O’Donnell

1999            Vincent Sheridan

2000            Maria Simmons Goulding

2001            Martin Gale

2002            Mary Lohan

2003            Cliona Doyle

2004            Brian Bourke

2005            Robert Russell

2006            Pamela Leonard

2007            Carmel Benson

2008            Hughie O’Donoghue

2009            Jean Bardon

2010            Charles Harper

2011            Taffina Flood

2012            Donald Teskey

2013            Colin Martin

2014            Louise Leonard

2015            Gwen O’Dowd

2016            Pat Harris

2017            Maser

2018            Ailbhe Barrett

Fundraising Fellows Muriel Foxton (Marketing & Fundraising Executive, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios); Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan (Marketing & Fundraising Executive, Fishamble: The New Play Company); and Anna McCarthy (Development Manager, Helium Arts) with Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive, Business to Arts, and Iseult Byrne, Interim CEO, Dublin City Council Culture Company, at 14 Henrietta Street. Photo: Conor McCabe

Fundraising Fellows Anna McCarthy (Development Manager, Helium); Muriel Foxton (Marketing & Fundraising Executive, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios); and Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan (Marketing & Fundraising Executive, Fishamble: The New Play Company) have graduated from the Fundraising Fellowship, Dublin programme. The programme, which is a joint programme created by Business to Arts and Dublin City Council Culture Company (formerly Dublin’s Culture Connects) aims to develop the pool of fundraising expertise in Dublin-city based cultural organisations. The graduation was held at 14 Henrietta Street.

As part of the 24-month Fundraising Fellowship Dublin programme, the Fellows worked in a fundraising or marketing & fundraising role within an arts organisation. The programme saw Dublin City Council Culture Company fund 50% of each role, with the partner organisation matching that figure. Over the two years, the Fellows took part in an intensive programme of training and mentorship, worth in-excess of €80,000 per institution led by Business to Arts, Dublin City Council Culture Company and industry experts, to build capacity and to diversify revenue streams. As part of this, leading Irish and international experts offered masterclasses to develop knowledge and understanding, offering practical and real life expertise. The Fellows also worked with Calcutta Run, Common Ground, Dublin Cycling and 100 Archive imparting their expertise to these organisations, thus increasing the reach of the programme to community organisations in Dublin city.

The Fellows have raised a combined €580,000 directly attributable to their role in their organisation. Three case studies have been published highlighting the challenges, implemented strategies and outcomes of the Fellows and their organisations participating in the course. Each can be viewed here:

• Temple Bar Gallery + Studios
• Helium Arts
• Fishamble: The New Play Company

Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive of Business to Arts states:

“This two-year programme has enabled Business to Arts and Dublin City Council Culture Company to provide an intensive programme of training and support to four arts organisations. It has enabled each organisation to implement their long-term fundraising and marketing strategies. Each Fellow has secured additional funding for their organisation and we are very proud of their achievements to date. Having a dedicated human resource who is focused on building partnerships and new relationships is critical for organisations who want to develop their fundraising potential and invest in their capacity”

At the graduation, Iseult Byrne, Interim CEO, Dublin City Council Culture Company said:

“Capacity building is a core value of Dublin City Council Culture Company (and its predecessor Dublin’s Culture Connects) so we are delighted to have had the opportunity to work in partnership with Business to Arts on developing this programme. Not only has the Fundraising Fellowship Dublin resulted in additional funds raised for the organisations involved, but more importantly, it has invested in developing and sharing a skillset that will impact positively on cultural and community organisations long after the programme has ended. We look forward to following the careers of the Fellows in to the future and wish Business to Arts every success as they grow this initial Dublin programme in to a national Fundraising Fellowship project.”