Sponsorship – A long-term approach

The Tate Galleries manage to achieve higher levels of sponsorship from commercial partners than nearly any other arts organisation. Andrea Nixon outlines the holistic approach to sponsorship that has encouraged business support.
In order to realise exciting artistic programmes and meet a number of objectives, arts organisations are constantly striving to supplement public funding with additional revenue streams. The competition for financial support from business sponsors grows stronger year on year, with arts organisations being asked to deliver impressive sponsorship packages to attract attention from the business community. Bringing together the organisations programme with the objectives of a sponsor is a carefully managed process that requires both vision and commitment.

At all its four galleries, Tate is attracting invaluable support from major international corporations. But what makes Tate a leader in its field is the way in which the organisation has managed to attract sponsorship, not only for special exhibitions, but for its collection displays. Tate holds the national collection of historic British and international modern art, which is shown at Tates Modern, Britain Liverpool and St Ives. A few examples can illustrate the sponsorship partnerships enjoyed by each gallery.

For the first time since Tate Modern opened in 2000, all 48 of its galleries devoted to the display of the collection have just been rehung around an entirely new concept. Opening at the end of last month, the rehang has been made possible thanks to a significant three-year partnership between Tate Modern and UBS. Through UBSs support, Tate has been able to rethink the presentation of the collection, include an annual six-month display of works from the UBS Art Collection, launch a live performance programme for the gallery and enable families further access to the collection via enhanced educational facilities.

UBSs relationship with Tate goes back to the launch of Tate Modern in 2000, for which it was a Founding Corporate Partner. UBS has since sponsored a number of major contemporary exhibitions, including Warhol (Tate Modern, 2002); Lucien Freud (Tate Britain, 2002) and Cruel & Tender (Tate Modern, 2003).

Tate Liverpool shows art from the international modern and contemporary collection in changing displays. At the heart of the gallerys programme is the DLA Piper Series: International Modern Art, a display (on show for three years) that takes almost a quarter of the available public space and which presents a regularly changing, chronological approach to the story of modern art from 1900 to the present day. This exhibition is sponsored by Liverpool-based global legal services organisation DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, who began their association with the gallery in 2001.

Through the gallerys existing Development Committee, Tate Liverpool were introduced to a senior partner at DLA Piper, who, excited by the strength of the Tate brand and the potential for corporate hospitality within the gallery, signed up as a Tate Liverpool Corporate Partner. Whilst enjoying the benefits of the partnership package, DLA Piper re-branded as part of a global merger, positioning themselves as an international company with a Liverpool home. With International Modern Art programmed, both Tate Liverpool and DLA Piper recognised the possibilities this presented to further DLA Pipers corporate objectives.

The display is both contemporary and international, and still retains an historical perspective; this appeals to a range of tastes and provides plenty of scope for corporate entertaining. The Interpretation and Education Department at Tate Liverpool make full use of the display for work with schools, families and community groups. As such, sponsorship of the exhibition also helps DLA Piper fulfil their objectives towards social responsibility.

The high-level, three-year support offered by DLA Piper is rewarded with a title credit and, as such, is promoted widely through marketing, press and promotional activity. DLA Piper have retained their corporate membership and have signed to the Tate08 Partners Scheme  a sector-exclusive super club that directly supports the Gallerys ambitions through two key initiatives: Tate08 Series and Tate08 Activity Space.

The BP British Art Displays 15002006 at Tate Britain presents the national collection of British art and includes works by Turner, Constable, Blake, the Pre-Raphaelites and Chris Ofili. BP has supported the collection displays at Tate Britain since 1990, first at the Tate Gallery and then from the opening of Tate Britain in 2000 to the present day. BPs continued support allows Tate Britain to create a broad and dynamic display programme of British art. It also supports BP Saturdays (day-long, free festivals for families and young people), the BP Conservation Intern Programme, sculpture and installation workshops for schools, BP Artist Talks and the BP British Art Lecture.

This major sponsorship from international companies has been invaluable in supporting the presentation of works from the Tate collection and in rethinking the ways these are presented to the public. Tates commitment to the unique presentation of art is recognised and reflected in our sponsors financial support. Long may it continue. n

Andrea Nixon is Executive Director of Tate Liverpool and was formerly Director of Development for Tate.
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