|
May 14, 2009 ARTS & THE ECONOMY
Creative inspiration
|
| |  | | | |  | | Sue and Sam Barnes at their home. |
Lexington, KY - There are a host of individuals and business leaders in Lexington that have supported the arts as a matter of principle for many years. We know through their generosity, sponsorships and participation that they value art, but what does that mean exactly? What is behind that support? How does their engagement with art translate into the work we do?
For Sue and Sam Barnes, a diverse interaction with the arts translates directly into the workplace. The Barneses are consistent supporters of the arts and area arts organizations, including LexArts, the Lexington Art League and the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. They are also collectors.
Is your support of the arts driven by some personal experience?
Sue B.: Yes, I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where we had the wonderful Cleveland Art Museum, and the orchestra, and the Playhouse. I also had a great aunt who lived in New York City and I was the only niece, so I got to go often to New York City. And she was very much involved in the arts, and it was just sort of a natural thing for me growing up to go to the theater and to go to a concert. I think when you grow up that way, a love of art just evolves.
|
| | | |
Business Lexington FeaturesA Show of HopeGuyon's "Illumina" challenges more than trends in contemporary artMay 14 2009 | Leading Women in Central KentuckyElisa E. BruceVice president, Fifth Third Bank; host of Insight Para TiApr 30 2009 | Business Lexington FeaturesHomeward boundFifth Third eBus takes financial advice to the streetsApr 16 2009 | |
|
| |
|  |
| |
|
Sam, what would you say specifically to young businesses about how they could support the arts? Is there anything in particular?
Sam B.: You don't have to be a large business; everyone can support the arts. We need to have a collaborative network between the business community and the various art areas in our community. LexArts does a nice job with this, but we can always improve.
One of the hurdles, for businesses as well as individuals, is that initial decision that you've got to make — which event, which artist will you support? How are those decisions made, either in your personal situation or in the business setting?
Sue B.: Well, if we are talking about what painting to buy or what piece of glass work, that's very easy to answer: something that really strikes us. We don't buy art to fill a blank wall.
Sam B.: We don't have a large art acquisition program at Fifth Third Bank, but what we do have in regards to sponsoring the arts is our CARES Committee. Since we're a diverse workforce, we've established this committee to look at all the requests for contributions that we make in the community.
How does exposure to the arts translate into the work we do?
Sam B.: Well, I think the arts stimulate creativity, and you need creativity in business and in everything you do. So creativity is important for everyone, and art is a way of making people aware to sort of look inward to think about new ways to express themselves or a new way of doing something. Just because something has been done the same way year after year doesn't mean it has to continue to be done that way. There might be a more efficient way of doing it. So that's how the benefit translates into business; it's finding new ways of doing things that someone hasn't thought of previously.
Let's talk a little bit about Marjorie Guyon and her new project titled "Illumina."
Sue B.: Marjorie called me up one day and said, "Sue, I have this terrific idea but I don't want to talk about it over the phone. Will you come down to my studio and then we'll have tea?" Her thoughts were about mounting Illumina to just help people through this time. And then it evolved from there. And of course, none of this is for sale. That's the big thing. Marjorie wanted to make that very clear.
Sam B.: Marjorie became interested in a statement that President Obama made about how everyone in America needs to reach out and try to help each other. And she took that to heart, and since she is an artist, she decided she needed to do something in an artistic way. So she's produced this series, which she refers to as "Illumina," which again is all about reaching out to people, having that consciousness of a stronger support of hope of the future, and she feels that that's something that she wants to give back to the community. With all the problems we have right now, it's a way of her giving something to people that they can look at and enjoy and feel good about. And she was looking for a place to display the artwork and thought about the bank. She contacted me and I thought it was a great idea. We hope to move it to other locations with Fifth Third around the country after it's on display here. It will be here roughly two months. View images.
Tags: Fifth Third Bank
| |
|
|
|
|
