This city is one of five communities selected to participate in the 2011-12 artsVest Ontario program.
It offers free sponsorship training to help Guelph’s cultural organizations build beneficial partnerships with the business community. Cultural organizations will also be invited to apply to artsVest for a total of $50,000 in matching incentive grants.
When matched with sponsorship from the local business community, artsVest has the potential to create more than $100,000 for Guelph’s cultural sector.
“We see great value in this program as a means of further strengthening our municipal cultural planning and development,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge.
“With the support of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and the Guelph Arts Council, we can develop valuable partnerships to connect business and arts in our community,” she said.
“From a business perspective we see a huge benefit to supporting arts and culture in Guelph,” said Lloyd Longfield, president of Guelph Chamber of Commerce.
“We know that artsVest has been a transformative experience for many other communities and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to bring this program to Guelph to help vitalize our community’s cultural assets,” said Colleen Clack, the city’s general manager of arts culture and entertainment. The city established that division to advance cultural planning.
The program will launch officially at city hall on July 14 at 5pm.
