BCA Hall of Fame Award

The BCA Hall of Fame Award recognizes companies that have exhibited exceptional long-term vision, leadership, and commitment to developing alliances with the arts.
Aetna Inc.

Aetna Inc., Hartford, CT

Aetna builds healthy communities by promoting volunteerism, forming partnerships, and funding initiatives to improve the quality of life for its employees and customers. Supporting the arts and people with an artistic background aligns with Aetna’s goal of creating a talented, diverse workforce to sustain its leadership position while building healthier communities. Since 2006, Aetna has contributed more than $7 million supporting over 437 national and local arts programs, events, and activities.
 
Aetna’s employees are committed to providing leadership to arts organizations’ programming and fundraising efforts. It was among the first to host a workplace giving campaign in 1995 and to enter the “$100,000 Club,” a special designation by the Greater Hartford Arts Council given to companies whose employees raise more than $100,000 per year for the arts. Since the designation, its employees have given over $1.5 million to the arts. Since 2003, Aetna and its employees have logged more than 4.3 million volunteer hours for numerous arts and non-arts initiatives. Currently, its employees perform with local arts organizations, hold in house art and talent shows, occasionally listen to its employee gospel choir and celebrate its award winning jazz band, which has jammed at numerous events including BCA 10 galas.
 
Nationally, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have granted the Adventures of Little Noodle, produced by Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts as part of the Center’s childhood obesity Initiative; the Sphinx Virtuosi tour which enables musicians to inspire children to explore classical music as a possible career while promoting healthy behaviors; the nationally acclaimed 105 Voices of History choir comprised of Aetna student health ambassadors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities who use music to address various health issues on their campuses. Locally, Aetna supports Hartford-based organizations including The Greater Hartford Arts Council, The Connecticut Forum, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, The Bushnell, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture and TheaterWorks. Finally, the Tony Award winning Hartford Stage and its Aetna New Voices Fellows’ partnership, has won a Pulitzer Prize and helped to launch new works from writers and directors that are being produced on stages nationally and internationally.
 
Headquartered in Hartford, CT, Aetna and its employees continue to think of new ways to expand its commitment to the arts. Mindfulness in the workplace and the support of science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM) provide a platform for the arts to play a vital role in developing the next generation of leaders. From music to dance, fine arts to performing arts, Aetna believes the arts can enhance one’s personal wellbeing, revitalize a community and create a world that bridges cultures and differences. A 2011 BCA 10 honoree, Aetna is thrilled to receive the prestigious 2016 Hall of Fame award.
Duke Energy

Duke Energy, Charlotte, NC

Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States. Through civic leadership, volunteerism, and financial contributions, the company fosters arts initiatives that support economic development and cultural diversity in the regions it serves. Duke Energy was named a BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America honoree in 2009.

The company’s contributions helped to create the Levine Center for the Arts in Charlotte and helped ensure the continuation of a partnership between the Charlotte Symphony and Opera Carolina. In addition, Duke Energy is the title sponsor of the Duke Energy Children’s Museum in Cincinnati, which has consistently ranked in the top 10 children’s museums in the world.

“Duke Energy is committed to supporting the vitality of the communities we serve,” said Lynn Good, Duke Energy vice chair and CEO. “That includes introducing our young people to the arts at an early age. Study after study shows that children benefit immensely from exposure to the arts. Investing in the arts makes good sense, for our business and for our communities.” Good also serves on the board of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

Duke Energy’s employees and retirees are able to maximize their personal contributions to nonprofit organizations, including arts organizations, through the company’s matching gifts program. Employees also participate in workplace giving campaigns through the Arts & Science Council in Charlotte and ArtsWave in Cincinnati. For over 20 years, the company has ranked among the top 10 Fine Arts Fund campaign contributors in support of arts and culture in the greater Cincinnati area.

“Charlotte-Mecklenburg's cultural community is grateful for Duke Energy's consistent and generous support of arts and cultural organizations and programs that educate, entertain, and enrich the quality of life for our residents and visitors,” said Robert Bush, President of the Arts & Science Council in Charlotte. “Duke Energy’s leadership has played a key role in building Charlotte’s extraordinary cultural institutions, not just through its generosity, but through the volunteer leadership from Duke in the cultural sector.”

John Deere

John Deere, Moline, IL

John Deere is the leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world. The company supports the arts as part of its strategic goal to enhance quality of life and to be in a better position to attract and retain employees in the many communities in which it operates worldwide.

Deere's support of the arts began in 1884 when the company underwrote the Deere Cornet Band, comprised of employee musicians who performed for fellow employees and the community. The company began a corporate art collection in 1964 by commissioning Reflections for an Era by Alexander Girard, now on display in the company's headquarters. The collection and the company's Eero Saarinen designed buildings on its Moline campus are enjoyed by employees and their families and thousands of community members. Deere now supports myriad arts and cultural institutions and arts festivals throughout Illinois. In addition, Deere employees provide countless volunteer hours annually by serving on the boards of arts organizations. Deere also provides grants, marketing and advertising support, as well as in-kind assistance to arts organizations large and small in its operating communities.

Deere's support of the arts has helped the company build employee and customer loyalty, encouraged other businesses to follow its lead and continues to enrich the arts and the quality of life in many communities throughout the United States and the world.

Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual, Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual is the nation’s largest direct provider of individual life insurance. As the largest corporate contributor to the arts in the state of Wisconsin, Northwestern Mutual has supported numerous successful partnerships in the arts over the past 25 years. The company believes that the arts are important to attract and retain talented employees, and that they contribute positively to economic development. In 2008, the company was a BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America honoree.

Each year, Northwestern Mutual sponsors a workplace giving campaign for the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) of Milwaukee, mobilizing its employees through volunteer and fundraising opportunities. This year, former president Skip Poliner, who retired this summer, chaired the campaign, helping to spearhead the largest campaign in UPAF history. The company was responsible for the largest corporate donation ever to the campaign, $786,000, and employees contributed an additional $810,000. Combined, the Northwestern Mutual community surpassed the $1.6 million mark. The company was honored with the newly created Epic Award for its record-setting contributions.

To offer youths the opportunity to find ways to express themselves and motivate students who struggle academically, Northwestern Mutual supports arts education initiatives. The company’s Student Inspiration grants provide opportunities for students to overcome obstacles to achieve academic success through arts education. Additionally, Northwestern Mutual supports specific education programs in the performing arts at Skylight Music Theatre, Danceworks, First Stage and Arts @ Large.

Northwestern Mutual has a history of supporting local museums that celebrate the arts. This summer, the company sponsored “30 Americans” at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM). The exhibit is a dynamic exploration of contemporary American art by African American artists from 1970-present. Also at the museum, the Foundation has been the presenting sponsor of MAM After Dark, a monthly event that gives after-hours access to the museum. At the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, the company sponsors “The Adventures of MR. POTATO HEAD”—an exhibit designed to help children ages three-to-eight develop school readiness and academic skills that provides the museum with additional revenue when rented to other institutions across the country. Even the company’s home office serves as a museum, thanks to the company’s art-purchasing program, which brings paintings to the many walls of the business.

The Boeing Company

The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL

The Boeing Company will be inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame, which honors companies that demonstrate exceptional long-term support of the arts. The BCA 10 Awards and BCA Hall of Fame Award will be presented by Americans for the Arts on October 4, 2012 at a black-tie gala at the Central Park Boathouse in New York City.

“This year’s BCA 10 honorees are a remarkable inspiration to others as they work to ensure that the arts thrive in their communities,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Because of their exceptional and enduring support for the arts, citizens across the country have access to the arts, further enriching and improving the quality of life for their workers and their communities.”

“These businesses lead by example and set a standard of arts support for other companies to follow,” said William T. Kerr, BCA Executive Board Chairman and President & CEO, Arbitron, Inc. “They have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the arts through financial and in-kind support, innovative partnerships and community involvement.”

The Boeing Company, BCA Hall of Fame Inductee

As a two-time BCA 10 award winner (2006 and 2007), Boeing invests in the arts because they fuel a community’s economic engine, help produce a creative workforce and nurture the imagination and self-reflection required to solve complex personal and community issues.

Kohler Co.

Kohler Co., Kohler, WI

"The words of John Ruskin are ingrained in the fabric of this company: 'Life without labor is guilt. Labor without art is brutality.' We bring creativity and a sense of the arts to everything we do — from Kohler plumbing and power, hospitality and golf, and Baker and McGuire furniture to the support of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s Arts/Industry program on the factory floor. The arts refresh lives and inspire leadership."

- Herbert V. Kohler, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Kohler Co.

Over its 138 years, Kohler Co. has expanded from plumbing products into a global multi-industry leader, driving innovation and a single level of quality in each of its core businesses: kitchen and bath, interiors, engines and power systems, hospitality and golf. Kohler Co.’s support of the arts stems, in part, from the value it places on design, innovation, and craftsmanship in every product. The importance of the arts is palpable as soon as you enter its corporate headquarters in Wisconsin, where a vibrant mural created in 1925 by Arthur Covey depicts the life of the factory.

Through the years, Kohler Co. has funded the arts at museums, performing arts centers, art schools and universities across the country. Over four decades ago, the company began to support an unusual and spirited grassroots effort that “makes real the power of the arts to transform lives and strengthen communities.” Named John Michael Kohler Arts Center (JMKAC) because of its beginnings in the 1882 home of Kohler Co.’s founder, JMKAC is an independent organization, nationally acclaimed today for the creative exchange it generates between an international community of artists and a broad, diverse public — through remarkable exhibitions, collections, residency programs, performing and media arts, and a wide range of arts education opportunities.

Among the Arts Center’s most well known programs is Arts/Industry, a unique collaboration with Kohler Co. that takes place in the manufacturing plant at the company’s headquarters. The program is developed and administered by JMKAC with major funding from Kohler Co. Arts/Industry makes the facilities and technologies of the company’s Pottery, Iron and Brass Foundries and Enamel Shop available annually to approximately 16 artists from around the world. More than 500 artists, generally 4 at a time, have been involved since 1974.

In residencies of 2 to 6 months, the artists are able to explore new ways of thinking and working and to create bodies of work that are not possible in their own studios. Works have included sculptural and functional forms, murals, temporary installations and major public art commissions for parks, convention centers and other sites from Oregon to North Carolina. Arts/Industry provides studio space in the factory that is accessible to the artists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They also receive free materials, use of equipment, technical assistance, photographic services, housing, round-trip transportation from their homes and modest honoraria.

The value of Arts/Industry to Kohler Co. and the region is manifold. The artists’ involvement in the factory and the community energize the associates, and a creative synergy develops not only with the designers but also with engineers, slip casters, enameling specialists, etc. The cross-pollination leads, at times, to innovative ideas regarding products. In addition, each artist spends one day per month in education programming at JMKAC and schools and universities.

The artists generally produce relatively large bodies of work that belong to them. Each artist is asked to give one work to the company and one to JMKAC. These pieces are exhibited at JMKAC, throughout Kohler Co.’s Wisconsin campus and at its Kohler Design Center, a showcase for the company’s products. In addition, works have been shown in museums and galleries worldwide. The company’s collection made its global debut in China in 2009 at Beijing’s notable 798 Art Zone —the first stop of a multi-city tour.

United Technologies Corporation

United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, CT

United Technologies Corporation (UTC) recognizes that the arts, like science and engineering, inspire and challenge what is possible and encourage lifelong learning and creativity. UTC has a rich history supporting the arts dating to the mid-1970s when United Aircraft acquired Carrier Corporation and Otis Elevator Company and became United Technologies. The company has spent more than $55 million on exhibitions in thirteen countries on four continents. UTC was named to THE BCA TEN in 2005 and has received BCA’s Business in the Arts Awards and Americans for the Arts’ Corporate Citizenship Award.

During the past decade, UTC employees have given more than $2 million to the United Arts Campaign of the Greater Hartford Art Council with support of the companies matching gift program. The company has matched more than $4.8 million in gifts to the arts during the past 16 years.

UTC encourages its employees to become involved in their local communities resulting in over 50,000 hours of volunteer time annually. The Volunteer Grant Program provides $250 to any qualified organization for which an employee volunteers at least 60 hours per year. In 2009, UTC made more than 509 Volunteer Grants totaling nearly $130,000.

Since 1980, UTC has sponsored more than 60 exhibits in the visual arts and over 500 performances at cultural institutions. Sponsorships are both national and international, with performances and major exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Detroit Symphony, Carnegie Hall, the National Gallery of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 2005, to celebrate UTC’s 25th Anniversary of supporting the arts the company underwrote a major exhibition of rarely seen drawings by Vincent van Gogh at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and commissioned three contemporary artists to create larger-than-life artwork in New York City.

The company also inaugurated Cities in Transition, an annual effort to commission new works by contemporary artists. In the first year of the program, three artists, Alex Katz, Gary Hume, and Lisa Sanditz, created paintings that were displayed as large-scale billboards in New York City. In 2006, UTC commissioned Chuck Close, Mitch Epstein, and Dayanita Singh to document their reactions to the changing urban environment by photographing three cities.

A new initiative has employees using talents they’ve developed on the job to work with nonprofits on projects to increase operating efficiencies and performance. For example, to help the Mark Twain House stabilize operations, employees gave financial and strategic planning assistance as well as an energy audit; they also provided an energy audit for Hartford Stage to evaluate and contain energy costs; and provided information technology improvements at Connecticut Public Television to enhance customer relations.

In 2009, UTC sponsored a series of 10 lectures titled “Sustainable Communities” in support of an exhibit of the same name. The lecture series presented prominent designers and developers in the green building community speaking on topics important to developing sustainable cities. UTC and Otis have donated almost $700,000 to the National Building Museum since 2000.

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank
New York, New York

“We believe the arts enhance our ability to respond to an increasingly complex and fast moving world with new perspectives, ideas, and insights. Partnerships between business and the arts embrace the vitality of the world around us and serve the human spirit.”

- Seth H. Waugh, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Bank Americas

EMPLOYEES
Contemporary art by emerging and established artists has been an important part of Deutsche Bank’s workplace since 1978. Today, nearly 50,000 works are on view in conference rooms, hallways, elevators, and reception areas. With the largest corporate art collection in the world, Deutsche Bank’s Art Works program is meant to encourage employee understanding and appreciation of contemporary art across cultures and generations. Through this collection, the bank contributes vital support to contemporary artists, while creating a visually diverse and stimulating work environment.

Employees are informed of the bank’s art programs through posters, banners, Intranet announcements, and internal publications. DB Art Enthusiasts are invited to exhibition openings, artist talks, curatorial tours, and fundraiser art auctions. Through its corporate membership program, employees and family receive complimentary or discounted admission to museums, orchestras, and operas.

Deutsche Bank hosts a variety of onsite enrichment programs. Free tours are offered for each exhibition at 60 Wall Gallery in New York. Additionally, the Meet the Artist series allows employees to hear presentations from artists about their work. Deutsche Bank also joins forces with groups such as the Multicultural Partnership and Rainbow Group Americas to host events surrounding exhibition themes, such as Dare to Struggle Dare to Win, a show of emerging Chinese artists working in the United States and Double Vision, which featured artist duos of the same gender who work together as one.

Additionally, many employees serve on the boards of arts organizations and the bank supports organizations served by employee volunteers through the Volunteer Assistance Fund and Initiative Plus grants. The bank matches employee donations dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 per year to arts organizations.

CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS
To increase support for the arts, Deutsche Bank introduces arts organizations to top executives of other companies, hedge fund managers, wealthy individuals, and family foundations. It frequently holds client events, meetings, MBA recruiting gatherings, and press conferences in arts venues.

COMMUNITY
Recognizing the important role artists play in revitalizing the community, Deutsche Bank developed the Art and Enterprise grants program in 2002 to foster relationships between low income communities and arts organizations to affect positive social and economic change. Since 2002, the bank has given over $4.4 million to fund the creation of new cultural destinations in once neglected neighborhoods. Through its recently established New Spaces: New Opportunities grant program, the bank has committed $1.2 million to midsize cultural institutions throughout New York City that are undertaking capital campaigns for new or enhanced facilities. The funds support cultural institutions at a critical time in their development as they move their organizations to the next level and awardees have included The Bronx Museum, Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, Queens Theatre in the Park, Queens Museum, Staten Island Museum, and the Weeksville Heritage Center.

Deutsche Bank also provides support for the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Mentoring Program, which provides immigrant artists an opportunity to gain professional advancement with the help of a NYFA fellow. Since 1999, Deutsche Bank has partnered with NYFA to award an annual fellowship to an outstanding New York City artist. In partnership with the Bronx Council on the Arts, Deutsche Bank sponsored the Bronx Black Book, a guide to creative business resources in the Bronx that is an easy reference for local museums, art galleries, and nonprofits.

The bank also sponsors groundbreaking exhibitions at major museums, such as the Anish Kapoor’s Past Present, Future at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; the 2008 Whitney Biennial; and the 2008 California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art. It also creates exhibitions from its collection featuring its recent Deutsche Bank Artist of the Business Year Miwa Yanagi at the Chelsea Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Art Houston. Deutsche Bank also lends pieces for exhibitions, such as Cai Guo Qiang’s piece Head On, for the Guggenheim Museum retrospective I Want to Believe.

As a global partner with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the bank supports exhibitions in New York and at the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin, which is located in the bank’s building. Together, the museum and bank commission artists—including Anish Kapoor, Cai Guo Qiang, Jeff Koons, James Rosenquist, Phoebe Washburn, and Kara Walker—to create new works, many of which become part of the bank’s collection. The bank is currently sponsoring the Three M Project in conjunction with the New Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Hammerm Museum in Los Angeles. The Three M Project embraces a new spirit of collaboration aimed at building museum collections by co-commissioning, exhibiting, and acquiring works by international emerging artists. This year Deutsche Bank will be a lead sponsor of the opening night of the Metropolitan Opera’s 125th Season.

Time Warner Inc.

Time Warner Inc.
New York, New York

“Creativity is as important to the communities we serve as it is to the businesses we run. That’s why Time Warner is committed to supporting the arts. By giving young people a chance to develop their talents and interests through media and arts programs, enabling more people to experience world-class theater, and nurturing diverse new artists and new works, we strive to help keep the arts rich and accessible.”
- Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Inc.

Time Warner offers its employees opportunities to volunteer their time and build their leadership skills while providing valuable support and resources to the arts through a number of programs. Among these is the Time Warner Pro Bono Consulting program, which teams employee volunteers who have particular skills with not-for-profits to work on specific projects. Through a board placement program, the company offers employees training in how to serve on not-for-profit boards and then matches each participant with an organization. Time Warner also has a Matching Grants Program for employee contributions to arts and education organizations and a Volunteer Grants Program, which provides up to $1,000 to a not-for-profit once an employee has given 30 hours of volunteer service.

Each year, the Andrew Heiskell Community Service Awards are given to employees who have made exceptional contributions to public service. Awards include an individual honorarium and a donation to a not-for-profit of the employee’s choice. Additionally, employees can experience the arts through corporate membership admission plans, special events and free or discounted tickets to performing arts events underwritten by Time Warner.

Time Warner is committed to broadening public access to the arts in New York, its headquarter city. It underwrote a groundbreaking ticket initiative for the 15th anniversary season of Signature Theatre Company, which enabled the theater to offer every seat for every performance for $15. The results of this partnership: 37% of the audience was from underrepresented backgrounds, 50% were new buyers.

Time Warner and Signature recently announced $20 through 20, an extension of this program which will make discounted tickets available for the next four years. Since 2004, Time Warner has been a Lead Sponsor of Fall for Dance – a ten-day festival of diverse dance companies presented by New York City Center. The sponsorship covers a special $10 ticket designed to attract new audiences. Since Fall for Dance began in 2004, 20% of the audience has never or rarely been to a dance performance.

In 2006, Time Warner collaborated with the City Parks Foundation to present CityParks Theater, which offers free performances presented by community-based theaters in Harlem and Brooklyn parks. In 2007, CityParks Theater expanded to offer free theater performances on New York City’s Lower East Side.

The company’s Youth Media and Arts Fund supports after-school theater, film, journalism and other arts programs which give underserved teens the opportunity to develop their own artistic voices while gaining valuable learning skills. This year, the company awarded grants to 14 community-based youth media and arts organizations in New York City including City at Peace, Ghetto Film School, Queens Council on the Arts, Reel Works Teen Filmmaking and Urban Word NYC.

To help nurture diverse voices in the arts, Time Warner supports community-based arts organizations, funds the development of new works by underrepresented artists and supports programs for young people interested in careers in the arts. For example, with the company’s support, New York’s Second Stage Theatre created a program to commission new plays by 10 diverse writers. The company also created the Diverse Voices Small Theater Fund to help small theaters develop and produce works by women and other underrepresented artists. In 2006, Time Warner collaborated with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs to launch Arts Advantage/NYC – a program to help small and midsize arts organizations develop effective marketing, fundraising and operating strategies. This year, Time Warner was a sponsor of the first National Asian American Theater Festival and was founding sponsor of TeatroStageFest, New York’s first international Latino theater festival.

Humana Inc.

Humana Inc.
Louisville, Kentucky

“Our success is driven by innovative people who thrive in communities with engaging and diverse cultural opportunities. As Humana’s business has grown, so too has its commitment to the arts.” - Michael B. McCallister, President and CEO, Humana Inc.

From Humana's inception, its Co-founders - David A. Jones and the late Wendell Cherry - have made the arts an integral part of this healthcare company's culture. Since 1975, the company has contributed more than $40 million to the arts in its headquarter city, as well as throughout the country.

In 1979, Humana made its first grant to the Actors Theatre of Louisville to sponsor the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Since then it has invested more than $16 million in the Festival that has presented works that have received three Pulitzer Prizes, six American Theatre Critics Awards and four Obies. About 25,000 attend performances annually and an estimated 90 million individuals worldwide have seen a play originated by the Festival. In 1982, the company commissioned Michael Graves to design its corporate headquarters. Graves produced an award-winning design that changed the landscape of Louisville.

The company maintains a workplace art collection that it shares with the community and it supports nearly all the arts organizations in Louisville with grants and in-kind services, and its executives serve on the boards of many of these organizations. It encourages employees to serve the arts as volunteers and it matches their gifts to arts organizations of their choice. Humana underwrites tickets for its employees, clients and customers so that they may enjoy the arts. Additionally, it supports a number of arts education programs in New York, Chicago, Austin, Kansas City, Phoenix, San Antonia, Sarasota and Washington, D.C.

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