Statements
Mission
The Arts & Business Council is a 501(c)(3) organization that leverages and unites the unique resources of the arts and business communities to create a thriving, sustainable creative culture in Nashville.
Investing in artists in central to the Arts & Business Council's longterm vision of a community where artists are valued as critical assets to be engaged, supported, and empowered. The Arts & Business Council believes a strong sector of creatives and creative businesses will enhance the overall economic profile of the Greater Nashville area. We believe a thriving arts community:
1) attracts businesses to Nashville;
2) makes for a healthy, happy population; and
3) creates strong, innovative solutions to social, business and civic challenges.
To deliver this mission, the Arts & Business Council creates and evaluates programming within three focus areas:
1) We create mutually beneficial partnerships between arts and business;
2) We provide direct services, key opportunities, education to the creative community to help them master the business of art;
3) We inspire workplace creativity in businesses to demonstrate the impact of the arts through tangible benefits and develop life-long arts participants and supporters.
Background
The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville (ABC) began as two separate nonprofit organizations: the Nashville Business Committee for the Arts and the Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (TNVLA).
The Nashville Business Committee for the Arts was founded in fall 2006 by Martha Ingram and other community leaders as an affiliate of the national Business Committee for the Arts through the national advocacy group Americans for the Arts. It began its operation under the nonprofit status of the Public Foundation of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Eventually, these associations rebranded nationally as Arts & Business Councils. TNVLA was founded in August 2005 with the help of a start-up grant from Vanderbilt University Law School. Based on the similarity of their foundational organizational assumptions related to the sustainability and growth of Nashville's arts and culture, ABC and TNVLA merged operations in early 2009, assuming the 501(c)(3) status of TNVLA and the name of the Arts & Business Council. These foundational assumptions include:
1) Nashville will have a strong economy and be an attractive city in which to live, work and play if our creative sector is sustainable and thriving;
2) Artists and arts organizations are vital contributors to our community;
3) Nashville will have strong, innovative solutions to social, business, and civic challenges if artists are mobilized as an asset; and
4) Key strategies for strengthening and mobilizing the creative sector are direct investment in artists and creative work, cross-sector collaboration, and arts-business partnerships.
Since its inception, the Arts & Business Council has been the leading nonprofit organization working to support the Middle Tennessee's entire arts and culture sector by connecting those in the arts community with the services, skills, and opportunities they need to thrive from their artistic endeavors. Over 6,500 artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses have benefited from services through the Arts & Business Council's monthly educational seminars, Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts program (VLPA), Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training, Arts Board Matching, Fiscal Sponsorship, Creative Exchange, Creative Advantage (formerly WorkCreative), Special Events (Arts Visionary, Arts Immersion, Nash Art Bash, and more), one-on-one consultations, and many other one-off programs and services.
Impact
In FY23, ABC engaged more than 8,800 individuals in our programs. We hosted our largest audience ever for the 10th Anniversary Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase. Among two Periscope cohorts-one serving Greater Nashville artists and one serving rural Tennessee artists- 37% lived in rural Tennessee counties, 27% of artists served identified as people of color, and 17% were 65 years of age or older. Additionally, the ABC x NSC Soundwaves Gallery is poised to enter its third year in 2024. Collaborating with Nashville SC, we showcased the works of 92 Nashville artists during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, a testament to the ongoing success and growth of this impactful initiative.
Our Fiscal Sponsorship program has recently expanded to support independent filmmakers and documentarians across Tennessee. Our education programs engaged over 800 individuals of which more than 24% identified as people of color, more than 10% were 65 years of age or older, and more than 8% lived in rural communities. We will reach our 5,000 mark for total cases closed in our current fiscal year through our Volunteer Lawyers and Professionals for the Arts (VLPA) program.
Needs
As a result of the continued expansion of our services and programs, the Arts & Business Council needs new community leadership in the following areas:
1. Individual and Organizational Membership ($20-$125);
2. Corporate Membership and Sponsorship ($250+);
3. Donations to the Periscope Scholarship Fund to support artists in Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training ($any);
4. Corporate and Foundation Grant Support for Program and Operating Costs ($any);
5. Volunteers giving professional time/expertise to support artists and arts organizations through the Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts program and Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training mentor program.
CEO Statement
At the Arts & Business Council, we believe that artists are vital contributors to our community and that Nashville will have strong, innovative solutions to social, business, and civic challenges if artists are mobilized as an asset. This is one of the core assumptions that drives the work we do every day to build capacity for our artists and empower them to act as entrepreneurs and community change agents. As Nashville continues to grow and thrive, we will continue to see dramatic changes in our population demographics and increased pressures on our current infrastructure and education systems. Inherent in these challenges is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Nashville to be a city that innovates and leads nationally. I believe that many of these innovative solutions will emerge from our creative class. Art not only increases our cultural vitality, but also has the ability to help us tackle these challenges. For example, art can create a common language allowing us to connect an increasingly diverse population, it can ease the pain of transition as we're improving our transit systems and other infrastructure, and it can dramatically increase the performance of youth in our schools. We invite you to join us in our work to empower artists and build a stronger Nashville.
Going forward, the Arts & Business Council endeavors to be a central hub for Nashville's creative community. In the coming years, we are looking forward to engaging in strategic risk-taking and mindful program development that engages artists in all creative disciplines at all stages in their careers to continue building more sustainable arts businesses and creative enterprises, making Nashville a great place to create and enjoy art.
Board Chair Statement
As a relatively new entity, the Arts & Business Council is already making a significant impact on the community. Fiscal year 2021 was a major one for the Arts & Business Council. Our organization grew not only in size, but our remarkable, dedicated staff has done an incredible job over the past year of strengthening our programs and services to support even more of the brilliant individuals and organizations behind Nashville's vibrant arts culture. In the past fiscal year (FY21), the Arts & Business Council was privileged to serve more than 3,500 individuals and 125 nonprofit arts organizations across the state of Tennessee through our various programs, services, and events.
We have an innovative, resilient staff, including our Executive Director, Director of Programs, Program Coordinator, and VLPA Manager, as well as a volunteer staff of dedicated legal and business professionals. Our board includes outstanding, vibrant community leadership with a true passion for the arts. Looking forward, our long-term vision statements are:
1) The Arts & Business Council will become a hub for building more sustainable arts businesses making Nashville a great place to create art. The Arts & Business Council hopes to serve as a translator and connector, leveraging and uniting the unique resources of the arts and business communities to ensure that Nashville is, and remains, a dynamic cultural hub.
2) Arts & Business Council will convert business and civic leaders to arts patrons increasing demand and support for arts.
As a board, our goals over the next year are to broaden our reach by building diverse sources of financial support through corporate memberships and program sponsorship to ensure the viability of the ABC to continue its work in the community. In January of 2013, the Arts & Business Council entered into a partnership with Belmont University to operate as a nonprofit-in-residence on campus. This partnership has allowed our organization to reach a more sustainable budget size through donated overhead and resources as well as increased focus on responding to the needs of the arts community. Over the past nine years in residence on Belmont's campus, our organization has experienced firsthand the transformative results of reduced overhead and collective impact. As we continue to work with Belmont University and grow the Arts & Business Council's impact, we are looking forward to our upcoming strategic planning sessions and the Arts & Business Council's next chapter of growth in service to Middle Tennessee's creative community.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts & Humanities Councils & Agencies |
| Secondary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Management & Technical Assistance |
| Tertiary Category: | Crime & Legal - Related - Legal Services |
Areas Served
The Arts & Business Council serves artists, nonprofit arts organizations, for-profit creative businesses, and individual arts supporters primarily in Davidson County, and the additional 12 counties that comprise Middle Tennessee. Additionally, the VLPA and Fiscal Sponsorship programs serve clients and projects statewide. Due to the pandemic, many education programs have shifted online as well, and now serve a statewide audience due to their accessible nature.
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Hickman |
