Indiana's arts patrons.

• Author: Alvarez, Tom
• Position: Indiana corporations' investment in the arts

These days, the approach is not to ask companies to subsidize the arts, but to "invest."

There is positive evidence that cor-porate support for the arts is alive and flourishing in Indiana, despite tough competition and difficult economic times.

A sampling of corporate arts supporters around the state indicates that most do so because they see the value of their contribution to the quality of life in their respective communities. They also realize that if their employees are happy in their free time, then they will turn out a better product while they are at the work place. In addition, business sees the arts as an attraction when recruiting new employees who weigh the quality of life in a new location and see the arts as integral to their needs.

"There seem to be two concurrent interests. Many corporations in Indiana look at it as a very practical way of taking discretionary philanthropic dollars and strengthening the infrastructure of a community of which they consider the arts a part of," says Tom Schorgl, executive director of the Indiana Arts Commission. "Many feel a dollar goes much further with support of the arts than with sports. There is also a sense of social contract with a community. Companies now also see that by linking up with arts organizations they can serve their own internal goals, thus pursuing a market-based philanthropy."

Also, companies now see the value of art as an event as opposed to strictly being a philanthropy, and they have begun to use it for customer entertainment and to create an image for themselves. Nowadays, sponsorships of a play or an art exhibit can be a lucrative advertising and marketing opportunity as well as a public relations tool for an enterprising business.

Arts organizations are almost never self-sufficient even with the best of attendance. And because there is relatively little government support, they have to depend on business in order to operate and even to survive. These days though, their approach is not to ask companies to subsidize them but to "invest." In this case, semantics are important, especially when arts organizations are going after business dollars. "Investment" indicates that something will be obtained in return, so when companies are asked to invest in an arts organization, what is it that they'll receive?

Companies in Indiana are receiving a lot, and they are anxious to spread that message. Even though there may be the possibility of some long-term financial rewards by their support of the...