The market and its mechanisms naturally ensure the exchange of information, knowledge and resources and subsequently influence the artistic production. You could count on the market or you could not, but you must consider it. The market in general also sustains the maximum number of participants being in and actively taking part. Of course there is institutions and regulation to ensure the fair play and the just distribution of welfare. These mechanisms are still not functioning in the culture – practically there is no market. The core of transition is to put them into work. The way they function around now is no good for culture.

We have identified the following needs:

1. Artists and artistic organisations need to understand the business point of view when financing an artistic project (“We don’t finance a project, we buy a communication channel”, Tzvetelina Alexandrova, Orbitel BG)

2. Artists and artistic organisations need skills and knowledge to present a project as a sponsorship proposal

3. There is insufficient information on successful examples of arts – business relationships (why and how an event/project is sponsored), which hinders the learning process both for the arts and the business.

The crucial problem, which is evident and widely accepted, is a lack of resources, mostly financial, with a lot of ideas for new creative projects bound not to come true. At the same time the ways of financing projects and activities are hardly changing. Though criticizing and unsatisfied, artists and artistic organizations rely mostly on the state and on some NGO’s funding the sector. As most of the assets are still or until recently have been state-owned and generally poorly managed (the actions and activities being confined to the central budget frames), there has not been a way for the independent artists, groups and art-managers of gaining experience and knowledge in their management.

Searching for sponsorship is often perceived nearly impossible task done by people in need asking the business to help a good cause. Often that way succeeds but culture and the arts are thus put in the same group with social causes, healthcare or education.

As the community involvement and general positive will of businesses to support culture and the arts (among other spheres) is identified the different nature of the needs of culture and the arts is still very poorly utilized The work of the artists and artistic organizations is not perceived as a product, which can and should be sold. Or to be more precise there is lack of skills and knowledge how to market it to potential sponsors and donors. If the businesses are shown that the arts are very effective PR & communication channel and there are art people who can handle this, it will lead to establishing mutually beneficial and long-term partnerships.

A number of businesses who took part in the first research on Business Support for Arts and Culture have been asked how they perceive the need for such a training and information provision. All of them said that the training is much needed and warned that it should be very well prepared and focused. A number of specialists also showed interest in participating in the On-Line Expert Support Forum. “Business need information about what the other companies do, in order to place themselves in the context and to evaluate their position and interests” (British Airways – Bulgaria).

The main aim of the project is to build sustainable links between arts & business in Bulgaria though

1. Setting up an informational pool of experts and expertise, electronic recourse of project data, etc. to assist both arts and business.

2. Equipping arts & culture organisations with the necessary knowledge for building useful partnerships with businesses.

3. Enhancing the essential role the arts can play in communicating the “business message” and the added value arts can offer in terms of customer and public relations

4. Provide the conditions for an ongoing learning process of arts organisations

5. Provide information and visibility to successful arts & business relationships

The main project activities are:

1. Train arts organisations for better communication with businesses

2. Promote the role of the arts & business relationship for the development of vibrant arts & culture sector through the Best Practices Corner;

3. Establishing a base for a dialogue between professionals and practitioners in the arts and business on concrete issues of sponsorship practice through the On-line Expert Support Forum;

4. Present the project and its results to partners in the Balkan region for its multiplication

5. Present the project and the results to society through a number of publications, media coverage, interviews in order to provoke public debate on cultural policy issues

Project Development

The pilot phase of the project was organised in Bulgaria and was completed in April 2002. The project is to enter its second phase of multiplication in the Balkan countries. We are currently looking for Balkan cultural organisations which are willing to work with us on organising such a project in their countries

The partner organisation should undertake the following activities:

1. Maintain this website as the steady link between the activities in the project and the broader context of the arts and businesses; it contains news, information, resources and analyses in line with the developments on the project.

2. Organize seminars for cultural practitioners and organizations on topics like sponsorship seeking, communication with businesses and related issues.

3. Establish opportunities and facilitate the on-going dialog and the exchange of ideas between individuals, organization and institutions.

4. Maintain an online On-line support forum for arts practitioners by business people.

5. Present the most successful examples of arts-business interaction in Best Practices Corner.

6. Inform about arts & business relations set-up and practices elsewhere: where practices can be seen as a models - UK, Western Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, and where the level of development and problems met are closer to ours - Central and Eastern Europe.

If you are interested in working on the project please contact:
Krassimira Teneva
Nikolai Nedkov

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