Business and Arts South Africa sees surge of new members

The 2011 members add to the over 150 companies that already feel the benefits of the many projects and services offered by Business and Arts South Africa, including helping businesses identify appropriate sponsorship opportunities in the arts and providing much-needed research into the arts.

Included in the new members that have joined Business and Arts South Africa in 2011 are several operating in the tourism sector, among them The Soweto Hotel on Freedom Square, which has recently launched the Kliptown Artists Impact Competition in collaboration with Soweto Post 77 - with the objective of creating a visual representation of the past five decades in South Africa's history. The iconic Rainbow Restaurant in Pinetown, Durban joins BASA as an establishment which has played home to several of South Africa's influential musicians - and also have an integral partnership with BASA Member, Prosound. Also joining from Kwa-Zulu Natal is the Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom.

Production company, Devereux - Harris & Associates cc; publicity specialists JT Communications who are driving a much needed media resource centre for the arts; advertising agency Grey South Africa; SA design consultants, Source SA; specialist art project management company AAW!, and Think Theatre are also new members - as are auditors and consulting firm, Middel and Partners, and medical supply company, Karl Storz Endoscopy.

iSchoolAfrica Youth Press Team, an initiative involving teams in more than 20 schools across South Africa using Apple computer technology to create newsworthy video content for TV, also joined BASA this year and have had teams avidly covering arts projects.

Retailers Food Lovers Market, join enlightened companies across the country in recognizing the opportunity of supporting the arts. One organisation benefiting from Food Lovers Market's strategic support is the Cape Dance Academy. BASA supported this sponsorship through a supporting grant. The Supporting Grant Scheme, funded by an allocation by the Department of Arts and Culture, provides support funding to arts-business partnerships, increasing the capacity of arts organisations or projects to leverage and activate the sponsorship partnership. Businesses that partner with Arts Organisations providing in-kind support or funding are able to apply for a Supporting Grant.

Some benefits of membership with Business and Arts South Africa include support through many different marketing and publicity platforms for business-arts projects and partnerships that members are involved in; networking; a bespoke research service; participation (where appropriate) in the Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Anglo American. Members also engage volunteerism opportunities through the thriving BASA Mentorship Programme (which pairs skilled business professionals with arts organizations to provide strategic advice) as well as through BASA BoardBank, an initiative which aims to increase the governance capacity of arts organizations while providing businesspeople an opportunity to become board members for not-for-profit arts organizations.

"We are thrilled to welcome so many new members to BASA - and look forward to supporting them in their engagement with the arts," says BASA's CEO, Michelle Constant.